Together 'till the End of the Wave
by DrKovu
Summary: The crew of Rocket Power are shocked to find out there are new kids living with each of them on the Ocean Shores. Will the new kids fit in with the Rocket Power crew, and what happens when feelings start to complicate their lives? [Contains Het and Slash]
1. Author Notes

Well hello there! I'm not very good at these openings, but I will try to give a little glimpse into what this story is about.

The new characters that come into this story are not from another show, game or series. They're characters based on my real life experiences, including one based on me. I won't spoil which, but I'm sure you can get the idea :p

This is my first attempt at all on a "Emotional-ish" thing. I'm usually someone who sticks to action and excitement, but deciding to go a different route.

I just got back in shape after a big car accident, so it's been a long time since I've put up a new chapter. I'll get back to it soon. I promise :p

I'd like to thank any single person who takes the time to read this. I know I'm just a younger kid whose finally getting the guts to put out one of his stories, so any one whose willing to take the time to read this is awesome. Any criticism is also appreciated. I know I'm not a perfect writer, and am always willing to take any hints or suggestions into thought. That's how we all get better, right?

My goals in writing this are pretty simple:

1) To stretch to a new kind of writing I'm not used to

2) To be able to vent out some real life things in a creative way

3) To try and tell an interesting and emotional story.

Thank you again for reading, and enjoy :D

~Kovu


	2. Chapter 1: New Kids on the Beach

**Together 'till the end of the Wave ©**

"Blood is thicker than water, but not as refreshing." -Tito  
.

"Get on the Bus! We're leaving."  
.

He had been staring at the letter in his pocket now for 5 minutes. He seemed to black the world out. Shaking his head, tears falling from his eyes like a waterfall.

"COME ON KID!"

He looks over to see the bus driver calling him to get on. He sighs deeply, and slowly enters. The school bus is quiet. 20 rows of seats empty around, with only three seats in the back occupied. He carried his bag loosely to the middle of the bus and sat down. The last thing he wanted was attention.

He stood about 5'8". Semi-wavy black hair, brown eyes, and a younger look to his face. He had a very pale look to him, and the poster boy for "skin and bone". For a 14 year old, 115 pounds doesn't leave a lot to be proud of. He wore a baseball cap backwards on his head, bright blue shorts and a black T-shirt, along with black socks he wore to his knees and Nike sneakers. He went to pull the paper out of his pocket again.

"Hey."

He heard a voice and looks over to see a girl around his age standing right beside him. Light, medium length brown hair. Brown eyes. A confident, yet caring look to her, which was a compliment to her bright white smile. She was about his height...a little shorter. She had a petite look to her. She was wearing a blue dress of some sort and sandals. Weighed just about as much as he did.

"You just sitting here all by yourself?"

Her question showed her worry. He seemed held back in his answer.

"Yeah. Just a lot on my mind. Not good with this shit."

His answer is quiet. His voice rough with pain and distraught. He seems tired. Hurt. A deflated tone.

"We all are. It's tough. Foster Care sucks. But that doesn't mean sitting here moping will help it. Look, we are just chilling in the back of the bus. Come join us."

She seemed persistent. He sighed, realizing she wasn't taking no for an answer. He was too polite for his own good.

"Alright. Give me a sec."

She smiles and takes a hold of his stuff.

"My name's Harmony by the way."

He was surprised with her name. He had never heard of anyone with the name Harmony before.

"Cool."

She has a look of confusion at his answer.

"Well...what's your name?"

He seems lost in his own world, but snaps out of it when she asked.

"Oh, sorry. It's Rick. Nice to meet you."

They shook hands and Harmony laughs about it for a bit. She starts walking back to the end of the bus, and he soon follows her. He notices two other faces in the back.

One was a girl a few inches shorter than him. A tanner look, long straight dark brown hair. Very tiny figure. A quiet look to her, but a comforting smile. Her white T-Shirt and shorts made her the brightest looking of the bunch.

Then there was a boy on the other side. He had a Hispanic look. Around his height. A little huskier than the rest of the group, but more so an average weight. He seemed to be a very outgoing guy. A very care free smile to him. Everyone in the group seemed very happy...something he wasn't very used to.

"Welcome to the cool kid's corner!"

The Hispanic fellow's answer seemed like a humorous response. Rick slowly sat down in the open seat.

"Hey guys. You going to Venice Beach too?"

Rick didn't usually ask questions, but was willing to give this a shot.

"Sure are. We all are."

Harmony seemed eager to make Rick feel comfortable with her answer. Harmony went on to introduce everyone.

"By the way. The guy over there is Jorge. And the girl over there is Anna."

Both Jorge and Anna looked at Rick and smile as they were introduced.

"Oh yeah. This is Rick. He's kinda shy."

Harmony seemed a little blunt in Rick's opinion, but that seemed like her personality.

"Yeah. Just got a lot of shit on my plate."

Anna seems surprised with Rick's response. Not many people are that honest just meeting someone. Anna's response was just as honest.

"We've all been there. There's a reason we have to move. Like, for me, it's my mom. Just abuses alcohol. Family doesn't want me around her so...here I am."

Anna seems to hold herself back from tearing up after talking about her mom. The makeup starts to smear, but she quickly fixes it.

"Yeah. I just lost my parents in an accident. I'm just making the best of it."

Rick was surprised with Harmony's honesty. Going through something so sudden like that, he didn't think she would be able to cope so well with it.

"I got into some legal trouble. My family thought I needed to get away from home."

He didn't think Jorge had the look of a trouble maker. He seemed very goofy to him, yet not necessarily someone who pushed himself too far. He studied them all and tried to understand their situation. Once again trying to take the quieter approach.

"What about you?"

Harmony had to ask. She seemed very curious of his quiet persona. He seemed more defeated than the rest of them.

"...my Mom and I argued a lot. Didn't get along. And the town I'm from I...made some mistakes. I needed to get away. So... I guess I'm here."

The remembrance of the events made Rick tear up fast. He tried to hold it back but quickly a flurry of tears came down his face.

"For fuck's sake."

Rick hated emotion. He got an angry look that tears were falling. The rest of the kids seemed understanding.

"We all seem to be going through hell. We gotta stick together when we get out there. Look out for each other."

Anna had to make this positive. She grew a family "pact" with the people around her. She had the attitude of a mother, making sure everyone had an escape and felt safe.

"I agree. We need a pact. Fist Pound guys!"

Jorge seemed to know how to cheer everyone up. Jorge put his fist out in front of the group. His outgoing personality seemed to make him the one to get everyone to interact. They all put their fists together. They look at each other, and said "Family" in an odd unison. After that, Harmony spoke up.

"So who is everyone staying with?"

Harmony always seemed to be the one to strike questions to spark conversation. Anna was the first to go into her bag and find her papers.

"I guess a...Mr and Mrs Rodriguez?"

Jorge was soon to follow.

"Oh cool. I got someone named...Dullard. Huh. Weird name."

Jorge quietly laughed at the name of his new home. Rick quietly pulled out his paper, trying not to pull out anything her felt was personal.

"Guess...ummm...wait...the Rockets?"

Rick seemed weirded out by the name, staring at his paper again to make sure. Harmony's eyes shot up and showed her papers to Rick. He looks at the papers, then back at her.

"You too?"

Harmony nodded her head to Rick's question and they both start laughing. Rick felt an odd comfort around the group of kids he just met. He saw himself smiling for the first time in a long time. Soon, Harmony spoke up again.

"So when we get there, we stick together. We'll get through this and have a blast doing it."

Her optimism is a comforting feeling to the whole group. They all looked at each other and smile.

For the rest of the ride, they talk about the scenery they would encounter. Most weren't from the west, and were not sure how they would handle the new heat. They talked about the beach, the sand, the people. Whatever came to their minds. Soon the group fell asleep and woke up to Venice Beach. They all looked at one another in amazement. This was it...this was their new home.


	3. Chapter 2: Dealing with Changes

"You gotta be kidding me..."  
.

A young kid around 13 years old sits on the stool at the Shore Shack. Coating a dark tan, the 5'9" boy wore his helmet over his Auburn-colored dreadlocks. Dark green sunglasses covered his eyes, and wears his yellow soccer jersey, reddish shorts and roller skates on his feet. A red backpack is filled with a change of clothes for the beach and his sneakers. He puts his elbow on the table and rests his hand on his head in frustration.

"What's the worst that can happen Otto? It's just new people coming to live with us. It can't be that bad."

A taller 15 year old girl sits next to Otto at the shack. She stood about 5'11". Her shortish curly purple hair and brown eyes look over to comfort Otto. She was wearing a yellow helmet on her head, a yellow shirt, dark green pants and roller skates. She is also wearing a backpack, but green. It was clear she's secretly hurt by the news, but handling it well...better than him at least.

"We've just gotta give them a chance. Twister and Sam said they're getting new kids too. Our parents all thought we could handle this."

Otto came back with a frustrated tone.

"Reggie, we've had our crew together forever now. And our families expect us to just deal with these new kids too? How do we even know we can trust them?"

Reggie looked down at her burger, in thought.

"I don't know Otto, but we gotta give it a try. Come on. Sam and Twist are waiting for us on the beach. We can talk to them."

Brother and sister both walk from the shack and onto the beach nearby. Otto walks a little slower than usual, so Reggie follows. When they got to the beach, they remove their skates and put them in their bags. From a distance, they saw someone sitting on a towel.

He stands only around 5'6". Weighs about 170, wearing his goggles over his head, along with his maroon swim trunks. He has a "intelligent" and "nerdy" look to him. He looks up to the pair as they took off their helmets.

"Hey guys. How was the food today?"

His answer seems normal, yet his face showed a look of worry.

"Barely ate it Sam. Can't do it with the stress."

Otto was clearly bothered by the news, as was everyone.

"I know the feeling Otto. I can't even go surf today. Twist is struggling like hell out there."

Reggie had a disturbed look on her face to Sam's observation as she answers him.

"Twist is going through what we're all going through. He must be taking it out on the waves."

Suddenly the whole group looks out to the water. Sam shakes his head.

"Speak of the devil..."

Just as Sam finished his sentence, they see an orange surfboard come out of the water. It's being carried by a 5'10" boy with bright orange hair, wearing a yellow and brown Kangol and a necklace. He had a very slender look to him, around 120. He came out of the water in his light blue shorts. He's completely soaked and has a clear tone of frustration in his brown eyes.

"Hey Twist. You okay?"

Reggie was clearly worried about Twister's depressed look. His silence worried everyone.

"Worried about the new kids?"

Otto had a good way of pointing out the obvious, which earned a glare from Reggie. Yet surprisingly, Twister spoke up.

"Yeah. It just sucks Otto man. Like, I can't handle another sibling in the house. Probably pick on me like Lars too."

"Look, no matter what happens, we'll make sure we all get through this. We've still got each other."

Reggie smiles at Sam's supportive response.

"Exactly. Things look totally bogus right now, but who knows. Maybe they'll be cool."

Otto suddenly got a smirk on his face.

"You know, I never thought of that Reg. They might fit in. That would be rad."

Reg and Sam were happy Otto finally came to terms with the idea, and look back at Twister.

"What do you say Twist? Ready to do this?"

Reggie didn't give the most confident answer. Twister looks up at Otto's excitement, which got a smile out of him.

"Yeah. I guess I'm ready."

The group then started to head out to Otto's house, where they were to meet up for the new kids to enter town. Twister slugs behind a few times, looking at the sky, only to have Otto pull him back to the group. Twisters' head continued to wander elsewhere. They all knew it would be difficult. Their worlds were about to change. In more ways than one...


	4. Chapter 3: First Night with the Newbies

"I can't believe I'm this nervous..."

.

Sam was clearly stressed about the new kid. He paced back and forth around his room. His mom moved another bed into his cramped room, filled with his gadgets and gizmos. Sam went to his inhaler and took a puff. His asthma was quick to give him bothers. Once he heard the front door open, he was quick to put on his glasses and try to tidy up his room a little more. Then his door opens.

Jorge enters the room in his blue shorts and brown T-shirt. He clearly looks flustered by the whole move, and has a very surprised look as he enters the room.

"Woah, man. This room is pretty cool."

Jorge had a fascination with all the stuff Sam owned.

"Thanks. I've been collecting and tinkering a while with a lot of it. I'm Sam, by the way."

"Jorge. Nice to meet you dude. So I'm chilling in here with you?"

Sam looked worried for a second at Jorge's question.

"Yeah. Is that okay?"

Jorge chuckled.

"Hell yeah man. This should be fun."

Jorge plops his stuff next to his bed and lies down. He soon looks over at Sam.

"So dude. Tell me about yourself. What's the story behind "Sam"?"

Sam seemed very surprised Jorge wanted to even know about him.

"Well...I'm kind of a computer fanatic. I love doing things on the computer. I'm pretty good with math and stuff like that. Just like keeping my mind busy."

Jorge looks impressed at Sam's description.

"Cool stuff."

Sam smiled at Jorge's response.

"Thanks. You?"

"I just like being around people. Having a good time. Enjoying it all."

Jorge seems to have a very relaxed persona now. Sam looks relaxed too.

"Oh wow. That's pretty cool. I've got a group of friends I chill with. Wanna meet them tomorrow?"

Jorge looks at Sam with a smirk.

"Sure. Sounds like a plan, dude."

Jorge and Sam soon drifted off to sleep...

Twister is sitting on the couch at his family's house. He's stuck in between his father, Raoul and his brother, Lars.

"Move over kid. I don't have room to move my arms."

Lars was angry. He went as far as pushing Twister towards his father, as he felt more and more uncomfortable. Luckily, the door soon opens. Twister's mom, Sandy, soon enters carrying some bags.

"Here you go, Anna. This is Raoul, my husband. Lars, my older son. And then Maurice, my youngest."

Anna seems very nervous about standing in the room with them.

"Hi, everyone."

Raoul approaches Anna, taking her bags.

"Nice to meet you dear. I'll bring these bags to your room. Dinner will be done in a bit. Maurice can you help Anna with the rest of her stuff."

Twister, who was clearly thinking about something else, soon looked up at his father.

"Umm...sure."

Lars waves at Anna and then walks back into his room. Raoul and Twister both carry her stuff up to the room upstairs. The room is pretty plain, yet has an average bed and a tiny end table. Raoul looks at Anna.

"We'll get it looking better later on, but for now it'll do. I'll leave Twister her to help you unpack."

With that, Raoul leaves the room. Anna looks at Twister.

"Hey. I'm Anna."

Twister, who still has his mind on other manners, looks back at Anna.

"Hey. Call me Twister. Nice to meet you. Where you from?"

Anna and Twister both start unpacking things from her bags, as they continue their conversation.

"I'm from New Jersey. You know, things didn't work out and now I'm out here."

Twister nods as they continue to unpack. After they're done, Twister suddenly speaks up.

"Hey, I've got some friends I want you to meet tomorrow. Would that be cool?"

Anna looked worried.

"Uhh...yeah sure. I have some friends I met yesterday too. I'll have to introduce you to them...but that sounds good."

Twister nods his head. He places the final item on the end table, and then looks over at Anna.

"Cool. All done. Dinner should be done soon. Let's go eat."

Even with Twister's response to go eat, Anna seemed surprised at how quiet he was.

"Sounds good."

After answering him, Anna followed Twister down the stairs to the kitchen...

Otto and Reggie are both sitting on their couch, watching TV. Both seem very impatient of the whole process.

"They're taking forever."

Just as Otto says this, the doors open and his father, Raymundo and his wife, Noelani, enter the room. They are both carrying heavy bags. They set them down in the living room, and lead in the two young kids.

Harmony walks in and looks around inspecting the place, while Rick seems very distracted. His eyes stay glued to the floor, and he continues to grab his face in exhaustion.

"Otto. Reggie. This is Harmony. And this is Rick. Reg, Harmony will be staying in your room. Otto, Rick's got the new bed in your room. We're gonna go cook up some food. Why don't you guys chill in here?"

As Raymundo gave his opening speech, Reggie looked at Rick and Harmony in deep analysis, while Otto just seemed confused with them. Then once Raymundo and Noelani left, Otto jumped back on the couch. Reggie came closer to the two.

"Hey. You guys wanna watch TV or something? I'm sure I can get Otto to move a bit."

Harmony looks at Reggie and smiles. She seemed very relaxed. Harmony responds.

"TV sounds good to me."

Harmony soon took the chair opposite of Reggie's chair. Rick slowly goes over to the couch, and takes the corner of the couch Otto is not occupying. The TV is playing a skateboarding show. After around 2 minutes, Harmony speaks up.

"So, what's the neighborhood like?"

Reggie was surprised someone actually spoke up. She's quick to respond.

"Oh you know. It's pretty chill. Not that bad. We only usually chill with our crew though."

Otto looked at Reggie for second, then back at the TV.

"A crew? What are they like?"

Harmony's question showed her intrigue.

"Just our friends for years now. We'll have to introduce them to you."

Reggie quickly slouches on her chair after answering Harmony. Otto then looks at Harmony.

"Yeah. We'll introduce you guys tomorrow. You'll like them. They're cool."

Harmony nodded at Otto, and they all went back to the TV for a few minutes. After a while, Otto adjusts himself in his seat and looks at the other side of the couch. He then spoke up.

"You're pretty quiet, huh?"

Rick, who had his eyes glued to the TV suddenly looks back at Otto.

"Yeah. You haven't said a word since you got here."

After Reggie's response, her and Otto look at Rick. They both had a look of wonder at him. Rick didn't like the feeling of everyone staring at him. He looks back at the TV to try and calm himself as he finally spoke up.

"I don't know. Just...getting use to this move."

Reggie nods her heads in agreement.

"Must be tough man..."

Rick could tell Reggie's answer was sincere. Rick smirks in appreciation.

"Yeah. It gets to you. So much happening so fast. It'll take some time to get comfortable."

They all nodded in agreement to Rick's statement again. Suddenly, Rick looked at the corner of the room.

"Is that a basketball?"

Rick seemed intrigued with it, which confused everyone else in the room.

"Uhh...yeah. That's a basketball. You play?"

Otto had barely even noticed the basketball in the crowded living room.

"Yeah. It's how I passed the time back home. Cheers me up."

For once, Rick's answer was more cheerful. Rick suddenly had a smile on his face, which surprised everyone in the room.

"Well tomorrow we'll go down to the basketball court near the beach. I'll tell the gang to meet us down there. Sound good?"

Rick smiles at Otto's proposition.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

After Rick's response, they all went back to watching TV. The rest of the night for everyone was relaxed. Not much activity. Most of them were tired from an exhausting day anyway. Moving seemed like the hard part. Now, the new kids have to fit into a whole new world. With all new people. Otto and his gang had to deal with new people living with them. Adjusting to new faces. It was all the start of something very...well...new.


	5. Chapter 4: The More the Merrier

"Come on. The courts are just over the hill."

.

Otto nearly sprints over the hill to meet his crew. He knew there was going to be a lot of new people, but he was more excited about seeing Twist and Sam than anything else. As they reached the courts, Otto and Reggie rushed over to greet Sam, who was sitting on the bench with Jorge. Harmony rushed to Jorge once she spotted him, while Rick simply walked over to meet the rest of them.

"So you guys know Jorge?"

Sam's question gave Harmony a big smile.

"Yeah. He was on the bus with me and Rick. We have another friend..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Harmony looked around to see Anna walking down the hill with Twister, and jumped up and down in excitement.

"THERE SHE IS! ANNA!"

Harmony was yelling and waving at Anna, causing her to come darting down the hill. Twister, surprised at how fast she could run, had to rush to catch up to her. Harmony and Anna quickly hugged, causing the Rocket crew to give a confused look. Sam was the first to speak up.

"So...you guys all know each other?"

Harmony, after letting go of Anna, quickly responded.

"Yep! We all met on the bus here yesterday. Let me introduce everyone. I'm Harmony. This guy over here is Rick."

Rick gave a half smirk and half-waved, which caused Reggie and Twister to chuckle.

"This crazy guy over here is Jorge. And this lovely lady is Anna."

Jorge and Anna both followed their introductions with the usual "Hey" answer. Reggie soon stepped up to the front to give her introduction.

"Nice to meet everyone. I guess I'll introduce my crew. I'm Reggie. This is my brother Otto."

Otto gave a quick head nod.

"This is Sam, but we always call him Squid."

Sam seemed relaxed, but nervous.

"Hey guys. And yeah, Squid is fine."

Anna and Reggie smile.

"And over there is Twister."

Twister sheepishly smiles, which got a smile out of Rick and Anna. Soon Jorge piped out of the crowd.

"So why are we at the basketball courts?"

Otto brought out the basketball from his bag as he answered him.

"Well Rick told me last night he played, so I thought I'd challenge him to a 1-on-1 game."

Rick looked embarrassed as Otto called him out.

"You must be real good."

Twister's answer showed his intrigue. Rick laughs, and answers a little more confident than before.

"I played a few years on the road. I'm not super good, but I've got some skills...I guess."

Rick and Otto headed to the court as everyone else sat on the bench to watch the game.

"Let's see if you can handle him, Otto!"

Reggie was quick to get Otto's competitive attitude going.

"Alright dude. You're ball first."

Rick seems surprised at Otto's gesture.

"You sure about that?"

Even after Rick's question, Otto clearly had the confidence of a champion.

"Yeah. Let's go."

Rick checked the ball, and as soon as Otto passed the ball back to Rick, he faked a shot and blew by him, leaving Otto in his dust as he made a simple layup.

"Damn. You're fast."

Rick smiles at Otto's remark.

"Your ball."

Rick checked the ball to Otto, and in a few seconds took the ball back. Throughout the whole game, Rick continues to use his speed and knowledge to control the pace. Before he knew it, Otto had lost. 11-0.

"Dang, Otto man...he's amazing"

Twister was stunned by what had just happened. He was used to seeing Otto dominate everything, yet this time, he was obliterated. Jorge walked up to Rick and put his arm around his shoulder.

"That was killer, Rick!"

Rick smiles. It felt wonderful to him to actually have people say positive things.

"Thanks guys. Sorry I had to do that to ya Otto."

Otto laughs.

"Don't worry. Basketball isn't my thing anyway. Come on. Let's go to the Madtown while it's early."

The group left in a pack, as they headed to the other side of town. As usual, Harmony started the conversation during their trek.

"So. What do you guys do out here for fun?"

Otto was prepared to answer.

"We skate. We surf. Pretty much anything that takes crazy adrenaline. We do it all. The four of us are always doing something exciting."

All of the new kids seem intrigued.

"Sounds bad ass."

Otto nodded at Jorge's observation.

"You better believe it man. We'll have to get you guys some gear soon, so you can learn. Maybe someday you'll get to the point where you can keep up with us."

Anna laughs at Otto before responding.

"We'll see about that."

After a few minutes of walking, Sam spoke up.

"So where are you guys from?"

It was an honest answer, yet got some glim looks from each person. Jorge was the first to speak.

"Texas. Came here because of the troubles."

Jorge seems comfortable with his past, yet inside frustrated over it.

"Troubles?"

Reggie's answer had a taste of worry to it. Jorge chuckled to himself at first.

"I got in a bad crowd. Got caught with drugs I was suppose to be selling. They saw me as a juvenile, yet my parents struck a deal with Foster Care that if I could stay out of trouble and moved away, I wouldn't have to go to jail. But...they were heartbroken."

Shock filled everyone. Harmony was the only one who could speak.

"Wow. That's awful."

Harmony was quick to give her support and put her arm around his shoulder.

The group went silent for a few minutes until Anna spoke.

"I'm from New Jersey. My mom left me at home alone while she went out drinking. She got arrested for DUI. When they found out about me, I got put in this program."

Anna's eyes teared up. Everyone felt the pain in her voice. Harmony felt obligated to break the ice.

"I'm originally from Michigan. Quiet town. Where are you from again Rick?"

Rick looks at Harmony.

"New York. Upstate."

A new voice entered the conversation.

"Is that like New York City?"

Twister had been quiet, yet his question got a laugh from everyone.

"Nah Twist. It's a little different than New York City."

Reggie tries to be as nice as she could with her answer. Twister shook his head for a second, and they continued walking. As they approached the park, Otto turned around and addressed everyone.

"I guess you guys are pretty cool. You can join our group if you guys want. Might as well, since you're all living with us anyway."

Otto's answer got a big laugh from everyone.

"Anyway, might as well show you our greeting."

Otto and the rest of the Rocket Power gang then went together and did their greeting. They formed a square around each other, stretching out their hands and wiggling their fingers, while saying "Woogity! Woogity! Woogity!". The ritual seemed to confuse the new kids. Jorge was the first to ask.

"What does "Woogity" mean?

The Rocket Power gang laughed. Reggie quickly explained it.

"It's just like a general greeting, but it's been our thing for years now. It's not that hard. Try it."

The four new kids gathered in the same formation. They all stretched out the hands. Anna and Rick were hesitant at first, yet everyone soon started the chant.

"You gotta wiggle your fingers, Rick!"

Rick, overhearing Otto's yell, starting wiggling his fingers with the rest of the group. They all started to laugh together.

"I think we all got it down."

Jorge spoke for the rest of the group. Otto approached them again.

"Well that settles it. You guys are part of the crew from now on."

Twister nodded to Otto's answer.

"Yeah! You guys are rad!"

Everyone smiles. It was nice for them to feel like they were accepted after the struggles they just went through. The eight of them went to the park. Throughout the day, the group talked, hung out, and showed what they had. Otto mostly stood out as the dominant skater. They spent most of the day there, relaxing and talking up a storm about each other and their past. Everyone had something to say. By night time, they were laughing and joking around with each other like they'd be friends for years. They soon found themselves heading to their homes. It was a successful first day. Everyone seemed comfortable. The rest of the night was quiet all around. The uncertainty of the place kept the new kids silent most of the time. However, they were happy for the first time in a long time. For these eight kids, it was all about the excitement for the future...for their crew...or more so...their new "family".


	6. Chapter 5: Getting Comfortable

"Thank god. The weekend's finally here..."

.

The school bells are ringing loud in the background and kids are flying by her as Harmony exits. It's a warm Friday afternoon. Looking up at the sun, she smiles. It's now been just over a week since she rode the bus to Venice Beach. She's gotten accustomed to her new home and her new "crew". After school, they all usually either go to the park or the beach to hang out. The neighborhood got her and the other kids new helmets, surfboards and skateboards during the week. She was shocked by the kindness of everyone in the little town she now called "home". She went down to the park to practice. She tried to work on the simple moves, but was still struggling. After about 30 minutes, she heard someone call her name. She looks behind her to see Reggie.

"There you are H."

Reggie and most of the kids started calling her "H" for short. It was Otto's idea in the first place.

"Hey Reg. What's up?"

"Me and Otto are going to Shack to get some grub with the others. Wanna tag along?"

Harmony was already bruised up from her falls, and hadn't eaten since lunch.

"Sure. Let's go."

Harmony heads behind Reggie down to the Shore Shack. Reggie seems in a bit of a hurry down the road. She considered it may have been a long school day for Reg, and she must've been hungry. After a few minutes, they arrived at the shack. It was packed. All the kids in school came for the weekend special.

"Raymundo sure knew how to run up weekend business."

Reggie rolls her eyes after her statement. Harmony laughs. Soon, they saw someone waving at them. It was Sam, who was sitting with Anna at a little table inside. Harmony and Reggie both ran over, and the group shared a "Woogie Woogie Woogie" greeting before Reggie and Harmony sat next to them. Sam quickly looks over to Harmony in anticipation before asking a question.

"Working on your moves H?"

Harmony had a look of disappointment on her face.

"Trying. Just not getting the hang of it."

Reggie put her arm around her.

"You'll get there. Just takes some time. We've been doing it for years now. In time, you'll be shredding alongside all of us."

Reggie's smile reassured Harmony, and as she looks around, everyone had the same reassuring look. She quickly got her cheerful look back.

"Thanks guys. I mean Rick and Jorge learned so fast..."

Reggie looked around before interrupting Harmony.

"Where are they anyway?"

Reggie and Sam looked around the shack until Harmony spoke back up.

"Jorge was staying after to work on a project for class. Didn't seem excited about it."

Reggie spoke up again in a joking manner.

"Having to be around Mackenzie? Poor guy must want to run for the hills"

Everyone laughed at Reggie's joke. Mackenzie was a younger kid about 8 years old, and while the Rocket Power gang knew her for having an obsession on Twister a few years back, it was apparent in the first week the new kids were there she had gotten a crush on Jorge. As obvious as day. Anna soon spoke up for the first time.

"Rick apparently got in trouble for skipping class. He should be out of detention in a little bit."

Sam soon spoke out of the crowd.

"I think we've all wanted to skip Science class at some point. I guess he couldn't handle it anymore."

They all laugh again as they sip on their drinks. The dynamic between them was different than before. It was much more relaxed. They joked around with each other as they talked. They put their arms around each others shoulders. It was clear in just a short week, they had all become close friends. Anna soon spoke out again.

"Twist and Otto still surfing?"

Everyone quickly looks out to the fairly crowded ocean. There was no sight of Otto or Twister out there. Sam spoke up.

"Ah...they're probably just going over the footage. Otto likes Twist to tape him, so he can watch and see what he can improve on."

Everyone nods their heads in agreement.

"Maybe Otto should improve that cockiness of his first..."

Anna's remark got a big laugh from everyone. Her brutal honestly was odd for everyone to get used to at first, yet they understood now to see as just clean fun. Soon, Sam pointed out Otto over a few of the rocks from afar. Reggie got out of her seat as she spoke.

"Let's go surprise them!"

Soon, the group got up and started heading over to the rocks..

Otto and Twister are sitting down on a big rock looking over the ocean. Twister, after showing his footage to Otto, closes his camera.

"Those were some sick runs Otto man. You were on fire out there!"

Twister's enthusiasm got Otto pumped up too.

"Yeah man. Was really on my game today! You got some solid footage bro!"

Twister smiles back at Otto, as they looked out at the other surfers. They stare for a minute until Twister spoke up.

"I'm really happy everything worked out...I mean...with the new guys. They're really cool."

Otto looked at Twister and laughs.

"Yeah Twist. They're pretty cool."

Twister nods and looked at the ocean. Otto chuckles to himself before speaking.

"I feel bad for Jorge though, getting stuck with Mackenzie."

They both smile for a minute before Twister responded.

"Poor Jorge. She's nuts man. He's gotta get away from her while he's still alive."

They both started busting out laughing. Twister nearly fell off the rock before Otto grabbed him and pulled him back up. Twister went back to looking at the ocean. Suddenly, he remembered something and nearly jumped off the rock in excitement.

"Otto! Did you hear about Rick skipping Science class today?"

Otto shook his head.

"Yeah. You told me about it before we came to the beach."

Twister jokingly shook his head. Otto then continued.

"I couldn't believe it. Nobody's ever tried to skip before."

Twister had a big smirk on his face as he spoke.

"I would never try that. Rick's like...a super cool badass or something."

Otto nods his head in agreement. Soon, Twister and Otto heard Reggie calling for them on the beach and went over to meet the rest of the group. After joking around for a while about Otto's "practice session", they all headed back over to the shack...

"So I'll call you tonight and we'll talk about the rest of your project...or something else, right?"

Mackenzie had a gigantic smile on her face as she spoke, while Jorge looked back at Mackenzie with a look of discomfort and forced kindness. Jorge quietly responds.

"Sure. We should be able to finish the project over the phone."

Mackenzie looks deep into his eyes as Jorge continues to have the look of a deer in headlights. She soon answers him in a quiet, more seductive tone.

"Sounds good. Talk to you later...cutie."

After she spoke, she winked and walked away with a flirty wave, looking back at him every few seconds. Jorge walks away in a swift escape-like trot. He didn't know what to say and was clearly bothered by the whole situation. His face was pure stone when the teacher assigned him Mackenzie for this project. He had to ask her questions to get a better understanding on people for some essay he didn't care about. He shook his head and walked over to the front of the building. After looking around, he sees Rick walking on the front lawn, kicking an old soda can and pacing back and forth. Jorge shakes his head and walks over to him.

"I see you survived detention..."

Rick looks up and stuck his tongue out jokingly.

"And I see you survived your crazy fan..."

Jorge shook his head once again, and they both started laughing. They soon started their walk to the shack to meet up with everyone. After a minute, Jorge spoke up.

"So what made you try to skip Science class?"

Rick nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know...just felt like it. Didn't think they'd send the whole kit-and-kaboodle after one kid skipping a stupid class..."

Jorge soon burst out laughing. Rick had a very strange, dark sense of humor, but everyone in the group seemed to enjoy it. Jorge continued.

"Could have been worse dude..."

Rick was quick to respond to Jorge.

"Of course it could have. They could've had me clean the toilets...but I guess child labor is frowned upon here."

Jorge laughed again for a while. After a minute of silence, Rick spoke up.

"I'm stunned at your tolerance for that kid. If she tried that on me, she'd be crying a river back home."

Jorge shook his head.

"Look...I don't want to be mean to her Rick. She's just a little obsessive is all. I don't know how to break that to an 8-year old."

"Try this one...N-O."

Jorge shook his head again without a response. Rick continues.

"Look, Twister already told you about what she's like. You could've dodged that bullet a long time ago if you listened to him."

"I know I know. I'll just have to fix it later."

Rick pats him on the back.

"We'll fix this bro. I'm sure the others have better advice on how to do it with care."

Jorge nodded and they kept on going. As they got in viewing distance of the shack, Jorge quickly stopped and turned towards Rick to ask him a question.

"Are we all still going to hang out at your guys' place tonight?"

Rick kept walking as he answered him.

"Yeah. From what I've heard we were all just waiting on you to confirm you can go...or is Mackenzie gonna keep calling you?"

Jorge quickly gave a light punch on Rick's arm and they laugh around as they reached the shack. As they walked in, Reggie spoke up.

"About time you guys showed up."

Rick's joking manner woke back up as he spoke.

"Well someone had to say goodbye to their stalker..."

Jorge shook his head once again at Rick's joke. Everyone else was laughing too. Otto then spoke up.

"Dude, you gotta get away from her man."

It was clear Jorge agreed with Otto on that. Yet as he spoke, his frustration came out.

"I know I know. I just have to get this project done, and then I'll tell her to stop this."

Twister soon spoke up.

"Let's hope you survive that long, bro."

Everyone laughed. Jorge looked frustrated, but at the same time enjoyed the humor. Reggie spoke up in an encouraging tone.

"Well figure it out man. We won't let her eat you alive."

Jorge smiles. He believed Reggie. These were his friends now. And he trusted them. Jorge looked over at Otto.

"By the way, we still chilling at your guys' place tonight?"

Otto responds

"Yeah man. We're about to head on over there if you guys are ready."

Jorge and Rick nodded, and everyone got up and started walking over to the Rockets house. Throughout the walk, they continued to badger Jorge about Mackenzie, joked with Rick about skipping out of class, and even boosted up Harmony on her skating improvement. It was an interesting dynamic the kids all had together. In just one short week, they were a whole new crew. Even with the Rocket Gang not completely knowing a ton about the new kids, they liked them. They had planned on Friday night being a fun hangout for them to just chill. After the new kids first week of school and all the stress that came with it, the weekend would give them a chance to just relax and enjoy the new company. It was another chance for them to experience something new, and that night would prove to be just that...


	7. Chapter 6: Rejection

The sky is just starting to get dark. Oustide of the Rocket's house, the fire burns bright. The gang of eight is sitting around the fresh fire they had Raymundo help them build, eating S'mores and joking around. The weather is calm. Not too cold. Not too hot. After finishing her S'more, Harmony looks up to the sky and speaks up.

"The sky is so beautiful out here."

Rick looks and responds.

"It's unreal. Like something in a dream."

Everyone soon looks up to see the dark red sky above them. Twister spoke up as he got out of the chair and sat on the ground.

"Never realized how awesome it was before...what do you think is up there?"

Everyone continues to stare into the sky, while Anna stares at Twister and smiles for a few seconds, before looking back up answering him.

"Stars. Planets. Past that, who really knows..."

Everything got quiet for a few minutes. Everyone staring at the night sky, thinking about their own things. The week had been a long one, and plenty of them were full of thoughts on their minds. A moment like this just makes someone's minds race more. Soon, Otto jumped up out of his seat.

"So are we ready to watch this movie or what?"

As everyone starts to get out of their chairs and head inside, Anna quickly taps Twister on the shoulder.

"Can I talk to you alone for a second?"

Twister held back outside as people started to motion in. Reggie looked back as she opened the door.

"You guys coming?"

Anna responded along with a thumbs up.

"We'll be there in a second."

Reggie nodded as she shut the door. Twister starts to scratch his neck as he spoke quietly in a nervous tone.

"So...what's up?"

Anna took a deep breathe and steady herself before speaking.

"Look Twist. I know it's only been a week since we've met, but..."

Twister's face quickly turns to one of worry as Anna stumbled for words and played with her hair.

"I think I'm in love with you."

Twisters eye's widen immediately as he struggles to find the words to say.

"Oh...ummm..."

Anna walks up very close to him.

"Do you love me, Twister?"

Twister's face was frozen with an expression of shock as he tried to respectfully back away from Anna. He was clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation at hand. He tries to speak, yet the words came out cracked and hard to understand.

"I don't...not like...like you're cool, but..."

Anna's face suddenly dampens as her smile turned into a frown and tears start rolling down her face. Twister stutters as he tries to find the right thing to say. His face is glued to the ground. His legs shake and he fidgets with his fingers. He is clearly stressed. He then looks to the door, then back at Anna as he speaks.

"I wanna stay friends and stuff...but.. I don't..."

As he looks up, he sees her face covered in tears, and shakes his head.

"I'm really sorry Anna."

Twister's tone is a soft and sad one as he opens the door and walks inside. His hands are in his pockets and his posture is clearly a somber one. Anna slowly sits back in her seat, staring at the stars and crying...

Otto and Reggie are sitting on their massive chairs while Harmony, Sam and Jorge occupy the couch. Rick is sitting on the floor. They're watching what Twister assumes is another action movie, as he tries to swiftly walk up the stairs. His posture is low, as his head is still glued to the ground. Otto looks over at Twister before calling his name.

"Twist! Where you going bro?"

Twister just continued up the stairs without looking back.

"Bathroom."

Twister continues up as everyone looks at him, and then looks back at the movie. Harmony quickly looks at Jorge after Twister leaves the line of sight.

"Is Anna still outside?"

Jorge shrugs his shoulders.

"I think so..."

Harmony has a concerned look on her face as she gets up off the couch.

"I'm gonna go check on her."

As she walks outside, Reggie slowly gets up off her chair.

"I'm gonna go see too. Nobody better take my seat! Got it?"

Otto gives her a thumbs up as he speaks.

"Loud and clear, Regg"

The room is awkwardly quiet as they leave. Rick soon gets up from the floor.

"I'll be right back."

Rick goes in the kitchen, and grabs an orange Gatorade. As he walks back into the room, he changes direction and goes up the stairs. Jorge looks to see Rick and sarcastically jokes with him.

"You're leaving too?"

Rick looks back and smirks.

"Just getting some chips from the bedroom."

As Rick continues up, everyone else left in the room turns their heads back to watch the movie...

Harmony walks outside to see Anna facing away from her in her chair she moved over to see the stars. She's shaking and sobbing in her seat with her face planted in her hands. Harmony quickly walks over to her and tried to talk.

"Oh my god! Anna, are you okay?"

Anna lifts her face to look at Harmony and grabs her. She continues to cry on her shoulder as Harmony tries to calm her down. Reggie soon walks outside to see the scene, and runs to them. Her voice has a sense of panic to it as she speaks.

"Is everything alright? What happened?"

Anna struggles to wipe the tears off her face as she tried to answer Reggie. She had been crying for a few minutes before anyone had noticed. Harmony, trying to be supportive, rubbed her back in support. After a minute or two of catching her breathe and wiping the tears off her face, Anna got calm enough to speak.

"I told Twister I loved him and...he pretty much told me he didn't feel the same way."

Reggie and Harmony's faces quickly turned to a shocked expression as they looked at each other, then back at Anna as she continued.

"I don't know why or how...but I fell for him. And...I already blew it."

Reggie's face took to a look of one frozen deep in thought. She didn't know how to comprehend what just happened. She tried to speak a few times, but couldn't open her mouth. Harmony soon shook off her surprise and tried to comfort her with words.

"Look girl, love is complicated. Life is really difficult right now, but it will eventually get better. It may seem like he's the one of your dreams, but you're gonna find some guy out there who is the one. You just gotta keep your head up."

Anna nods silently, but was still clearly shook up by the whole scene of events. Reggie eventually snaps out of her trance, and motioned to the door.

"I'm gonna go inside and keep them busy. Are you good?"

Anna silently nodded as Harmony continued to stay by her side. Reggie then walked slowly back to the house as she put her hands through her hair in confusion. As she walked through the door, Sam turned his head to see her. He quickly spoke up.

"Hey Reg. Everything alright?"

Reggie took some time to sit in her seat. Her face was still deep in thought, which caught the group watching the movie by surprise. Otto pauses the movie as he speaks.

"What's wrong sis?"

Reggie took some time to compose herself as she spoke, taking deep breaths and shaking her head again.

"Apparently Anna told Twist that she loved him. Twist must not have responded to it well, since she's outside bawling."

The atmosphere quickly changed to a much more somber tone. Otto quickly got out of his chair.

"I better check on Twist."

Otto quickly rushed up the stairs. Everyone was clearly shaken. Sam had a face of concern as he looked at Reggie, then back at the ceiling. Jorge seemed to stare off into space deep in thought. Reggie seems to be completely frozen. At that moment, no one could find the words to say...

As Rick turned up the stairs, he noticed the door to the Boy's Bedroom was open and the light was on, which confused him. As he slowly walked into the room, he sees Twister sitting on the bed, staring at the ground. Rick takes his time as he enters the room and speaks.

"Yo..."

Twister looks up in surprise of the voice. It was clear he mind was somewhere else.

"Hey Rick."

Rick walks over to the end table and grabs the chips, afterwards sitting on the bed next to Twister.

"You iight?"

Twister nods his head, as he speaks in a soft, broken tone.

"Yeah...I'm okay"

"You certainly don't sound okay..."

Twister looks at Rick, and takes a deep sigh. He puts his head on his fist. Rick continued to look at Twister, waiting for an answer. He finally answered him.

"Anna just..."

As he tried to continue, he shook his head as he tripped on his words. Rick spoke to calm Twister down as he looks at him.

"Take your time."

Twister nods, and continues.

"She told me she...she told me she loved me."

Twister continues to shake his head in disbelief as he spoke.

"Like she's cool and all, but I don't like her like that. She's an awesome friend, and I don't wanna hurt her...but I don't "love" her...and now I feel like I hurt her..."

Rick put his hand on Twister's back to calm him down.

"You're good, Twist. Doesn't sound like you did anything wrong. Just a shitty situation."

Twister looks at Rick, as a tear falls from his face.

"Thanks."

A loud noise comes from the stairs as Otto ran up the stairs to the bedroom. As he enters the room, he rushes up to Twister's side in a panic.

"Twist! Are you alright man?"

Twister nods his head at Otto.

"I'll be fine. Just need some time."

After that sentence, Rick slowly gets off the bed and motions to Otto to give him space. Otto hesitantly walks to the door as he speaks.

"If you need anything let me know, bro. Anything. Got it?"

Twister nods again, as he goes back to staring at the ground. Rick shuts the door behind Otto, and they walk down the stairs to the rest of the gang. Everyone in the room still has the same look of shock. After a few minutes of silence, Sam is the first one to speak up.

"So what do we do now?"

Everyone looks around at each other, until eventually Jorge answers the question.

"Just give them their space, I guess."

They all silently look back at the television, as Otto resumes the movie. For the rest of the night, the group stays pretty silent. When it was time to go to sleep, the girls and guys went to their separate bedrooms. Twister and Anna stayed completely silent, while the rest of the group barely spoke a word. None of them were prepared for it. New people meant new friends, but also new challenges. They all witnessed that first hand. For the group, it was the first shocking development they would have together...but it would most certainly not be the only one they would experience together...


	8. Chapter 7: Gettin' the Hang of it

"You sure you wanna try this dude?"

.

Otto is standing next to the ramp at the Madtown, alongside Twister. They look up to Rick, who is standing on top of the ramp. Twister is steadying his camera up towards Rick to get the perfect shot on him, as he prepares for his trick. The sun is shining bright over Rick's head. He has a clear look of nervousness on his face, as he continues to close his eyes and take deep breathes before giving the thumbs up to Twister.

"You got this Rick!"

Twister's supportive cry got a smirk out of Rick before he took one final breathe and went down the ramp. Rick's skateboard flew down the 8-foot vert ramp with speed. As he reached the top of the vert, he seemed focused to land the trick he had set himself for..."The Disaster". For that moment, he knew his mind had to be 100% focused on his move. Yet for a split second, his mind wanders, causing his form on the ollie 180 to fall apart. He takes a hard fall on the ramp, causing Twister to close his camera fast, as him and Otto quickly check on the fallen skater. Twister puts his hand on Rick's shoulder as he speaks.

"Holy shit dude! Are you okay?"

Rick looks up with a look of frustration.

"Fuck. I almost had it..."

Otto and Twister both help Rick to his feet. Other than some harsh cuts, he seems to be okay. The only thing damaged was Rick's pride. Otto attempts to lift his spirits.

"That's a hell of a lot closer than I got on my first try. You'll get it down soon."

Rick nods his head, yet the expression of disappointment is still painted on his face. They walked together out of the Madtown and towards the Shore Shack. Once inside, the three sit down at an open table. Soon after, a larger man walks up to the group wearing a white hat and apron.

"What's good, Tito?"

Tito, the business partner of Otto's father Raymundo, had been working at the Shack for as long as the Rocket Power gang had known.

"As they say, another sunrise means another chance at success."

Tito had a way with quotes. While they were sometimes inspirational, they were equally confusing to those amongst the group. Tito sees the confusion in the faces of the three boys as he continues to speak.

"I'm surprised it's only the three of you today. Where's everyone else?"

Otto spoke up.

"Well Sam and Jorge are just chilling at their house. Reg, H and Anna are somewhere on the Boardwalk."

As Anna's name is brought up, Twister's eyes wander to the ground. Tito quickly notices, and speaks up.

"Why the long face, lil' cuz?"

Twister looks up slowly. It's clear he's reluctant to speak. After a few seconds, Otto questions him.

"Is this about what happened with Anna?"

Twister's surprise shows as he quickly looks at Otto. Tito raises his intrigued eyebrow as he speaks.

"Oh. Has something gotten in between you two?"

Twister answers in a frustrated tone.

"She told me she loves me..."

Tito's eyes open wide in surprise to Twister's answer.

"Oh. The young one opens her heart to you. Do the feelings reach the other shore?"

Twister looks at Tito in confusion with his answer. He then shakes his head at Tito as he answers the question.

"No...she's just a friend. But I hate seeing her hurt like that. And now I have to see her all the time with that sad look on her. I don't know how to handle it..."

Twister looks away from everyone as he can sense his voice reaching an angry tone. Otto and Rick look at Twister with a sense of worry and concern. Tito walks behind Twister and puts his arm around his shoulder as he consoles him.

"Let me give you some advice, lil' cuz: "When the sea turtle retreats into its hardened shell, just give him time – he'll show up, especially when there's teriyaki barbecue chicken."

After about 30 seconds, Otto is the first to respond to the advice.

"Haven't you told us this bit of advice before?"

Tito nods.

"I have, but do you remember the lesson?"

The boys looked at each other for a minute in confusion, wondering if any of them knew the answer. Rick then speaks up.

"Just...give her time?"

Tito smiles at Rick.

"Exactly. You have to give her time to think things over. After that, it will cool down and the ocean will be calm again."

Twister looks at Tito with a still confused look on his face.

"But what about the teriyaki chicken?"

The group begins to laugh as a whole as Twister continues to be baffled. Rick tries to hide his laughter with his hand as he speaks.

"I don't think it means anything important..."

Rick then stares at his stomach.

"Though I could probably go for some right now."

The group laughs together again. Twister soon brings out his camera, and the boys start watching the footage of them on the ramp...

Sam and Jorge are sitting on the bed toying around with Sam's computer. It seems they are playing some sort of Sci-Fi video game. Sam turns the computer over to Jorge to let him play as he goes to the dresser to get the water on top of it. As he looks at his mirror, he sees the picture of him, Twister, Otto and Reggie posing in front of the beach from a few months ago. Sam is frozen, gazzing at the picture with a smile on his face for a good minute or two before Jorge's voice overshadows his thoughts.

"You day-dreaming again, bro?"

Sam quickly shakes his head back at reality before turning to face Jorge, who has the game on pause, waiting for him to snap out of it. Jorge looks at Sam with a curious look on his face as he questions him. Sam takes some time to collect himself before answering.

"Sorry about that. Stuck in thought for a sec."

Jorge nods his head.

"Been there..."

Jorge's tone seemed diminished to Sam for a second. He looked at Jorge quizzically before responding.

"You ever have something you really want to tell someone, but just can't?"

Jorge lowers his head again as Sam asks the question.

"Yeah..."

As Jorge tries to continue his sentence, he takes a deep breathe.

"I would tell my family...I'm sorry for all that's happened."

Sam quietly gasped as he saw the emotion on his face.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."

Jorge laughs through his tears as he answers Sam.

"All good, bro."

As he wipes the tears of his face, Jorge quickly changes the subject to a brighter tone.

"You excited about the cookout this weekend at Otto's?"

Sam's face brightens up.

"Yeah. Should be cool to have so many people, and so much food."

Jorge nods in agreement as he speaks.

"I hear ya. I might just stuff my face full and gain 10 pounds with the way Raymoundo cooks."

They soon begin smiling and laughing about how much food they can eat. Jorge then turns the computer back over at Sam.

"It's your turn again."

Sam and Jorge calm themselves down and focus back on the computer and the game at hand...

Reggie, Anna and Harmony are walking together on the Boardwalk. They occasionally look into different shops as they joke around with each other. As they get near the end, they stand and look at the view of the ocean. Harmony speaks out of the crowd.

"What a beautiful day."

Reggie smiles at Harmony.

"Hell yeah it is."

Anna stands in silence as she stares frozen at the bright sun in the distance. Both Harmony and Reggie look over to her. After a few seconds, Harmony speaks.

"A lot on your mind girl?"

Anna sighs and continues to stare at the sun as she responds.

"I have to see Twister this weekend. I don't know what to say."

Harmony opens her arms to Anna and promptly gives her a hug as Anna quietly cries on her shoulder. She tries to hold back the tears, yet has a hard time doing so. As they unlock their embrace, Harmony gives her advice.

"Look sis, all you can really do is say what you feel in your heart. You can't let your world be controlled by one boy. Moving on takes time, but you can't hold all those feelings inside you. You'll explode."

Anna reluctantly nods her head at Harmony as she goes back to staring at the sun.

"Thanks Harm."

Reggie puts her arm around Anna's shoulder as she speaks up.

"You'll find someone. Just have to stay strong."

Anna looks over to Reggie and smiles. She turns away from the scenery to look at both of them.

"Thank you. You're both amazing friends."

All three of them turn around and head back to the entrance of the Boardwalk. As they continue to walk, they pass someone listening to the radio. It's playing a pop song with a woman in the background singing. Harmony soon starts to sing along with the radio. As she sings, Reggie and Anna look at her in amazement. Her vocals blew the two girls away. Other people on the Boardwalk started to look at Harmony as she got deeper into the song and belted out the lyrics. Her singing was majestic to all of those around her. As she finished, a group of people including Anna and Reggie started clapping. Harmony, just snapping out of her vocal trance, covered her brightly blushed face in surprise of her audience. Anna grabs Harmony lightly as she nearly screams in excitement.

"HARM! YOU ARE AMAZING!"

Harmony is still completely red faced as she very softly answers Anna.

"I didn't even know I was singing that loud..."

Reggie's smiling cheek to cheek as she faces Harmony and speaks in excitement.

"You were belting it out there H. Oh man can you sing. You gotta show the rest of the gang that voice of yours."

Harmony suddenly became very shy and nervous. She had never sang in front of people before, and now was going to do it on the spot. Her face was still hidden by her hands as she answers shaking.

"I'm not sure..."

Anna continues to hold Harmony as they walk. Anna is still nearly shouting as she speaks with pure excitement."

"You gotta H. You have such an awesome voice. They gotta hear it!"

Harmony picks her head from her hands. She looks at Anna, then at Reggie, and then facing forward. She gives a sarcastic smiles as she speaks.

"Alright, I guess. But you guys have to do something too..."

Anna suddenly perks up with a cheerful attitude she was lacking before.

"I can show one of my sketches. I mean it's not done yet, but it's something."

Reggie and Harmony both look at Anna in surprise. Reggie answers with intrigue.

"You draw?"

"Yeah! It's what I did to relax myself at home."

Reggie thinks to herself before continuing the conversation.

"I don't know what I could do."

Harmony puts her arm around Reggie.

"Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out. Just wonder how everyone will react."

Anna puts her arm around Harmony again as she answers.

"They'll love it. I promise you Harm. It'll be fun."

The girls, now locked in a chain of arms around each others shoulders skip down the Boardwalk home. Anna's attitude towards the weekend completely flipped around as the turn of events lifted her spirits. The kids seemed to do that for each other. They cared for one another. They didn't want to see each other hurt or suffer. In a short while, they had developed deep bonds towards one another. And as the next events of their adventure tested their resolve, their connection would continue to grow even stronger...


	9. Chapter 8: Everyone has a Gift

The sun is bright on a gorgeous Saturday, as Raymoundo and Tito are cooking burgers and hot dogs on the grill. The Rocket house is crowded with guests, flocking and chatting around the yard. Most of the kids are outside playing games Raymoundo set up near the house. Inside, Twister is pouring himself a drink at the kitchen counter. As he turns to go back outside, he hears Anna's voice behind him.

"Hey Twist."

Twister nervously turns around to see Anna standing behind him. He quietly answers her.

"Hey."

Anna fidgets with her arms as she continues.

"I need to apologize to you. I shouldn't have done what I did."

As she tries to continue, Twister interrupts her.

"It's all good Anna. No worries. Just...can we still be friends?"

Anna smiles at his response.

"Of course."

She swiftly hugs Twister, and walks out of the room. Twister looks in confusion at her, but his face changes to one of a happier tone as he walks out with his drink. Twister walks to Otto, Reggie, Rick and Jorge throwing around a Frisbee in the yard. Otto sees Twister and makes a sarcastic joke.

"Where's my drink?"

Twister looks at Otto confused.

"You didn't ask for one..."

Everyone laughs.

"I was just playing Twist."

Twister, realizing it was just a joke, lightens up as he lies down on one of the beach chairs set up towards the ocean to look at the view. After a long throw of the Frisbee from Otto, Reggie motions over to the house.

"I'm gonna go get a drink myself. Anyone else want one?"

Otto speaks quickly.

"Me! My water should be up in my room if you can grab it real quick."

Reggie sarcastically smiles at Otto.

"Anyone else?"

Rick then answers her.

"Can you get me a water too? Appreciate it Reg."

Reggie rolls her eyes to the sky, and begins to walk towards the house as she speaks.

"Be back in a bit."

As the rest of the kids go back to their game, Reggie walks into the house, grabbing a drink from inside the fridge, then walking up the stairs to Otto and Rick's room. She looks around to see the room is still beyond filthy. The boys had been at Madtown before the party and quickly threw all their stuff on the floor, as they usually did. After rolling her eyes again, Reggie walks carefully through the room, making sure not to step on anything. She softly grabs Otto's water from the counter, and tries to walk out.

"Ouch!"

She looks down to see her foot right on top of Rick's wallet. The Nike logo on it had jabbed her foot. As she turned her foot around to check if it was bleeding, the wallet falls on the floor. She looks down to notice a piece of paper fell out of it. As she picks up the piece of paper, she realized it was a long letter. She stood still quizzically, wondering for a few seconds if she should look at it. Curiosity got the better of her, as she opens it up and began to read the letter.

J,

I wish I knew what to say right now. I just keep trying to have the good memories in my head to hide from the fact of what's going on. Playing b-ball and soccer, eating pizza together, and our endless conversations for years now. I know I may never see you again, and it breaks me. I may never really know how you feel about me, but the fact that I have those memories with someone as amazing as you in my life is a gift I won't take for granted. It's crazy how in 4-5 years, you've become someone I care for so deeply. It will take time, but we'll get through all this bullshit. We always do. Someday, I'll get to share this with you and we can figure out where to go from there. Until then, I'll live my life and you'll live yours. I love you more than you'll ever know, and I will always love you.

~Rick

As Reggie read it, her face turned to one of pure shock. Her eyes filled with tears. She had no idea Rick had held something so personal. As she finished, she folded up the letter carefully and placed it back in his wallet. She did everything she could to a tee to make sure it was back where she had left it. She silently kept saying "Wow" as she carefully stepped out of the boys room with Otto's water. She took her time to collect herself, wiping the dried tears off her face and taking deep breathes before walking outside with the drinks. She did her best to put on the smile as she handed Otto the water. Otto reached for the drink as he spoke.

"Thanks sis."

Reggie quickly took her drink and sat on the chair opposite Otto. Suddenly, she hears a voice she didn't expect.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

She nearly jumps off the chair and see Rick staring at her. His confusion is clear on his face at her reaction. She tries to compose herself as she answers.

"Sorry. Must've forgot. Want me to get it?"

Rick got out of his chair as he spoke.

"No worries. You iight?"

Reggie nods her head.

"Yeah."

Rick seems concerned, yet after a few seconds lies down and goes back to starring at the sky, while Reg and Otto watched the rest of the gang play with the Frisbee...

The sky is now beginning to darken as the crowd at the Rockets' house dies down. The gang is sitting in their chairs around a camp fire. The smiles and laughter on the kids faces were contagious to all the adults still hanging around. As the laughter died a little down, Anna's face woke up in remembrance. She turns and speaks at Harmony.

"Harm, I almost forgot! You gotta sing for the guys!"

Harmony suddenly got very quiet. Her nerves show on her face as Otto spoke up.

"She can sing?"

Anna, with a huge smile, nods her head as she responds.

"Unlike anything I've ever heard before. It's beautiful."

Everyone is now looking at Harmony, who is biting her nails as she speaks.

"I'm so nervous..."

As everyone waits anxiously, Rick speaks up unexpectedly.

"You got it H. You want me to try and sing before you and lighten the mood?"

Twister looks at Rick in surprise.

"You sing, Rick?"

Rick looks at Twister as he responds.

"From time to time I guess. I'm not very good though."

Otto's voice is heard right after Rick speaks.

"He plays the guitar too. I've heard him upstairs playing while I was in the shower. And don't listen to him. He is good."

Rick shrugs his shoulder.

"I'm okay I guess..."

Harmony's nervousness had seemed to vanish as she finally had the confidence to speak.

"I'm good. You gotta go after me though."

Rick looks around, and then reluctantly nods his head at Harmony. She sits up in her chair and closes her eyes as she begins to sing the same song she heard on the boardwalk. As she began to sing, the whole group's eyes opened wide. The few adults left at the house began to migrate over to hear her sing. The sound of her voice was strong, yet peaceful. Harmony's voice shook with nerves, yet still left everyone listening in awe. As she finished, the crowd, including the gang applauded for her. Harmony, still shaking from the nerves, was smiling cheek to cheek in pure happiness. As everything settled back down, she turned to Rick and spoke at him.

"Alright. Go get the guitar. It's your turn."

Rick slowly and reluctantly got out of his seat. As he walked towards the house, he whispered to himself.

"Oh boy..."

As they wait for Rick, the group continues to praise Harmony for her singing. Jorge then speaks up.

"Wow. You guys are all amazing."

Reggie speaks out as everyone turns their attention to Jorge.

"What do you mean?"

Jorge clears his throat as he responds.

"Like, you all have something you are super amazing at. Otto and Reggie are fantastic skaters and surfers. Twister is an awesome cameraman. I've seen Anna draw stuff that's absolutely beautiful. H's voice is unbelievable. Rick is a basketball prodigy and Sam is a computer genius. It's just...really cool."

Everyone begins to smile as their names are brought up. They are all smiling at Jorge, who seems a little more down than everyone else. Just as the silence begins, the door is heard, and Rick is seen carrying out his guitar. He takes his time walking back to his chair, seemingly anxious about the idea. Anna can barely keep herself in her seat as she speaks.

"I'm so excited!"

Rick begins to tune his guitar as Harmony asks a question.

"What song you doing? Is it one I know?"

Rick continues to focus on the tuning as he responds.

"It's one I wrote. It's kind of based on a song I heard a while ago."

Harmony looks intrigued.

"What's it called?"

Rick takes a second to respond as he stops tuning.

"We'll get through"

Reggie's head shoots up when she hears the song name. It sounds so familiar to the letter she found. Everyone continues to sit up as Rick finishes tuning and strums a little bit, preparing himself. He then takes a few deep breathes, and begins playing. The nimble finger work on the guitar has Twister and Anna nearly standing up watching. As he begins to sing, the voice that comes out is softer than they may have expected, but still very smooth. The song has an old rhythm and blues feel to it, along with some soul. Most of the kids sitting there hadn't heard a song like it before, which intrigued them. His voice wasn't on the level of Harmony's, but it was still very pleasant to the ear. The pure emotion he had in his voice caused some of the kids to get emotional. Reggie began to wipe her face as one lyric in particular, "No matter what, we'll get through. No matter how, we always do." continued to stand out to her. As the song ended, everyone in the group had big smiles on their face as they applauded. Anna came over to him and gave him a big hug as she complimented him.

"That was amazing, Rick."

Rick smiles sheepishly as everyone else continues to praise him.

"Thanks guys."

Rick looks around at everyone. After the mayhem that occurred last week, it seemed everything was starting to resolve itself. The group was back to its old, cheerful state. Their smiles could light up the night sky. For now, things were upbeat and peaceful. While certain things bothered each one of them, it wasn't going to hold them back from enjoying the night with each other. For that night, they were living in the moment. They shared the peaceful night as a group. It was a bond that throughout the future struggles each of them faced individually, and as a whole unit that would help them get through the upcoming moments of struggles and of pure joy. But for now, that didn't matter. All that mattered was they were together enjoying the night, with the company of their best friends...


	10. Chapter 9: Uncertainty

Sam and Jorge are riding their skateboards at a leisurely pace on the boardwalk. It's about six or seven o'clock on a Tuesday night. Sam wanted to get something for his room at one of the shops, and Jorge decided to tag along. As they slowly skate to the shop, Jorge waits staring at the view of the ocean while Sam goes to get his gizmo. Sam slowly walks up to Jorge, who seems completely lost in his own mind. Sam joins Jorge staring at the ocean before speaking up quietly.

"The view still blows me away too..."

Jorge continues to stare at the water as he answers.

"It's crazy. Never had a view like this in Dayton."

The both continued to stare for a minute or so before Sam spoke up again.

"What's Texas like?"

Jorge sarcastically smirks.

"The city itself is boring. Nothing really to do."

Sam nods his head as Jorge continues to speak.

"I mean here, there's always somewhere to go to relax and calm yourself. I love it, but..."

He pauses as he takes a deep sigh and looks down to the ground for a second. Sam looks at him worried as Jorge finally finishes his sentence.

"I wish I could see my family. I feel like I've let them down so much. They tell me not to beat myself up over it...doesn't make it any easier to move on though."

Sam, unable to find the words to answer him, just stared back at the water. Jorge soon collects himself and gets on his skateboard.

"You ready to head back, Sammy?"

Even though most of the group called him Squid, Jorge usually referred to him as "Sammy" just for his own sake. Sam got on his skateboard as they slowly rode back towards his house. As they got close to their house, Jorge spoke up as they were riding.

"I gotta ask you an honest question."

Sam suddenly looks nervously at him.

"Okay...?"

Jorge then focuses back on the sidewalk as he slowly asks the question.

"Do you like Reg?"

Sam, in pure shock over the question, trips his skateboard off and nearly slams his face on the ground. Jorge quickly jumps off his board to grab him and make sure he's okay. As they collect themselves and continue riding, Jorge reassesses his question.

"So..."

Sam quietly gains confidence as they approach the house, and as he goes to open the door, stops and speaks.

"Yeah. I guess I do. Just not...ready to tell her."

Jorge suddenly gets a big smile on his face.

"All good Sammy. In time you will. Was just curious."

Jorge walks alongside Sam as he opens the door and they head inside to relax watching TV on the couch...

Around 10 pm on the same Tuesday night at the Rodriguez residence, Twister walks through the living room, heading upstairs. He sees the television screening a movie, as Anna and Lars are watching the movie on the same couch. Twister's parents are already in their room sleeping. Other than the movie playing, the room is silent. After standing there for a few seconds, Twister breaks the quiet.

"Is this one of those "gooey" love movies?"

Anna and Lars turn to look at Twister behind them in surprise. They look back at each other, then back at him before Anna finally answers him.

"Yeah..."

Twister nods his head, as he starts to head up the stairs.

"Night guys."

Anna once again is the only one to answer him.

"Night Twist."

Twister nervously walks up the stairs until he gets out of the sight of the two watching the movie, quickly deciding to peek at their actions downstairs. After a few minutes, just as Twister starts to fall asleep on the edge of the steps, he notices something he's not prepared for. Lars puts his arm around Anna as she starts to snuggle up on his shoulder. Twister, in pure shock, quickly scampers to his room and shuts the door. He shakes his head vigorously as he jumps in his bed, and stares at the ceiling...

It's near midnight as Reggie wakes up. She's not sure why, but it's become a common occurance for her to wake up in the middle of the night. She tosses and turns in the bed for a few minutes, to no success in getting back to sleep. She looks to Harmony, sound asleep, as she tip-toes out of the room with her matted hair and pajamas to get a something to eat downstairs. Her steps are slow and careful as she moves down the staircase to the first floor, and even after a few misteps that cause minor noise she successful reaches the kitchen. As she drinks a water, she notices there is a small light from the near-pitch black outside. She sees someone in a blanket sitting on the outside table, with a light gleaming from their feet. She slowly goes to the screen door and takes a minute before opening. As she opens, she sees the face turn to her. In his bright orange pajamas and the flashlight at his feet, Rick takes a sigh of relief as he sees it's Reggie standing behind him.

"You scared me Reg."

Reg smiles as she responds.

"Sorry. What in the world are you doing awake?"

Rick shrugs his shoulders.

"Can't sleep. Barely ever can. You?"

"Me either."

As she speaks, she joins Rick on the table, as they look over the town. With some of the lights still on in the houses across town, the view is different than anything Reggie had seen before. After a few minutes of staring, Reggie finally speaks up.

"Can I ask you about something?"

"Yeah Reg. What's up?"

Reggie turns to face Rick as she speaks.

"Promise not to be mad at me."

Rick's voice turns to one of concern.

"What ya mean?"

Reggie takes some time before speaking again, clearly thinking through how to voice what she was going to say.

"Well...I went into your room to get Otto's drink at the cookout...and...I found your wallet. And I guess...I looked in it."

Rick's eyebrows quickly raise as he quietly murmers.

"Oh..."

"Yeah. And I found a letter you wrote."

Rick rests his face in between his hands in a praying shape. The clear shock on his face is tough to see due to the dim light from the flashlight, but it is clear to Reggie how he feels.

"Who is J?"

Rick stays quiet for a few minutes. Trying to control the emotions going through his head. Reggie, realizing what she said has put him in this phase, tries to mend the situation.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset..."

"It's okay Reg. It's just...there's a lot I'm going through. Just got out of a very..."tough" relationship"

Reggie notices the empasis Rick put on the word "tough", and is intrigued by the whole situation.

"What was she like?"

Rick looks at her quickly, then at the sky, thinking deeply before he speaks.

"They were everything to me. More than I can describe. More than words can describe."

The silence that followed that statement seemed to last for hours, even though it was only a few minutes. As Reggie patiently waits for Rick to speak, he continues to fidget his fingers and hold back what emotion he had tried to control when he went outside in the first place. Finally, he spoke again.

"It is what it is, I guess. I'll be fine. It's just...tough."

Reggie nods

"I understand. If you need anything, you know I'm here."

Rick looks back up at Reggie and smiles.

"Thanks."

"I'm gonna go back to bed. Try not to wake anyone up getting back to your room."

They both laugh before Rick responds.

"I've gotten pretty good at sneaking out at night like this. I'll be okay."

Reggie gives Rick a hug and walks to the door.

"Night Rick."

"Night Reg."

Reggie enters the house and heads up to her room, as Rick continues to watch the scenery. As he looks on, he pulls out the note in his pocket and stares at it again for a good few minutes. He takes a few deep sighs before he speaks to himself.

"If only she knew..."

As Rick looks back up in the sky one last time, he puts the note back in his wallet. He looks into his wallet at something specific. He smiles for a quick second as tears start to fall. When he notices, he puts his wallet away, and picks up the flashlight, and walks inside. Everyone in the group had their secrets, most weren't too excited to share theirs. Even with how close the group had become, some things are better left to the beholder. And while Rick and Sam were the only two whose secrets became public to others in the group, they would not be the only ones who would deal with this problem. It would be one that every single one of them would have to deal with eventually. The emotions of the group seemed like much more than the Rocket Gang were used to and way more than any one of the new kids ever wanted to deal with. It was not an easy time for any of them, yet they just had to keep fighting through, even if they weren't sure what they were about to face in the near future...


	11. Chapter 10: Shock

It's a bright, sunny Thursday afternoon at the Shell Shack. Anna is sitting alone, eating a cheeseburger and staring out into the ocean. She continues to stare into the ocean in a daydream. After a few minutes, a sound snaps Anna out of her trance. It's a skateboard. She looks over to see Harmony skating down the hill to the shack. Even though Harmony was still a little shaky, she had gotten to the point where she could hold her balance fairly well, even downhill. She got off her skateboard and sat down next to Anna swiftly.

"Hey Anna!"

"Hey Harm. What's up?"

Harmony wore a bright smile as she spoke.

"Finally getting this skateboarding thing down. You left school pretty quick. We were all looking for you."

Anna took a look at the sky again before answering.

"Sorry. Just had to get some air. And a burger...I guess."

Anna took a bite of her burger again. Harmony watched her take a bite before responding.

"I can see that."

Harmony laughs and Anna slightly chuckles as she continued to chew her food.

"After you finish eating that, wanna join Otto and the gang at the park?"

Anna finished chewing her food before answering Harmony.

"Sure. Sounds good."

Anna takes her time eating her food as Harmony waits patiently. Harmony looks at Anna, trying to dissect why she has become so quiet. As Anna finishes her food, she gets out of her chair, taking the time to throw out the scraps and cleaning up the table. As she starts to wipe the table down with a napkin, a voice near surprises her.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that lil' cuz. I'll take care of it."

Tito, who called all of the gang "lil' cuz", was behind her with washcloth in hand. Anna catches her breathe before speaking.

"Okay. Thanks Tito."

Tito nods back as Anna and Harmony walk out towards the park. It seems neither is in much of a hurry as they enjoy the scenery. After a few minutes of walking, Harmony speaks up.

"Apparently Rick is going to try some ridiculous trick on the ramp. Twister's gonna tape it. Suppose to be really rad."

Anna smiles.

"Should be awesome. I'm sure he can pull it off."

Harmony nods in agreement as they reach the park. They can see Jorge, Sam and Reggie down near the ramp. Harmony runs over to the three, while Anna takes her time slowly walking over. Harmony's positive attitude shows in her face as she speaks.

"We ready for this?"

As she looks up to the ramp, however, she doesn't see Rick.

"Wait. Where's Rick?"

Sam points to the houses overlooking the ramp as he speaks.

"Rick and Otto went with Twister to his house to get the camera."

As everyone turns their heads over to look, Anna, whose eyes were already glanced towards that direction, poses a question in a quick, curious tone.

"Should we go over to get them?"

Harmony gives a surprised look at Anna's change of attitude as Jorge answers.

"Nah. They'll only be gone a few more minutes. Might as well just wait here."

As the group looks back onto the ramp, Reggie goes up to do some tricks of her own on the ramp. Sam, Harmony and Jorge look on in awe as Anna's eyes continue to wander. After a few tricks, Reggie takes a minor fall. Sam quickly heads over to check on her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks Sam. The ramp seems a little off today. You really think Rick can pull the ollie 180 on this?"

Just as Reggie gets up, they see Rick riding his skateboard towards the ramp. He's clearly been going faster than he's used to, as he finally reaches the ramp sweating and breathing hard in exhaustion. Jorge sarcastically speaks to Rick.

"About time. We've been waiting."

Rick tries to catch his breathe as he responds.

"I know I know. Twister's making sure the camera's working before he leaves his house. Otto said he'd ride next to him. I gotta get some practice in beforehand."

Rick heads on up to the ramp and starts getting in practice runs as everyone else watches. Anna continuously watches up to Twister's house. After a minute, she sees a figure walk out of the house, yet she can't tell who it is. Assuming it's Twister and Otto on their way back, she focuses back on chatting with the group as they watch Rick and Reggie alternate runs on the ramp...

Otto and Twister are seen frantically rummaging around Twister's room. Twister tosses a shirt off his dresser drawer.

"Come on Otto man, we gotta find that camera!"

After a few more seconds of looking, Twister stops looking. Otto looks confused at him.

"Did you find it Twist?"

Twister then starts to smile as he comes to a realization.

"That's right! I put it in the garage!"

Twister quickly runs out of the room downstairs. Otto goes to quickly follow, yet looks back to realize his glasses are missing. He looks around the room cautiously, trying his best to manage to view the room with his poor vision. He finally notices them under the blanket on Twister's bed. As he peels off the blanket to get them, he notices something underneath Twister's pillow.

"What the..."

Otto lifts up the pillow and notices a green journal. He picks it up and looks at it. On the front is written "Twister's Rad Thoughts", along with a picture of him skateboarding. Otto briefly flashes back to a few years back, where their teacher had assigned each student one of the journals to keep their thoughts in, and then share them with the class. Otto had thrown out his right after that school year.

"Can't believe Twist kept this."

As Otto looks around, curiosity gets the better of him, and he opens it to look inside. He noticed the pages they were assigned to do in school were written very briefly, and poorly. As he continued to look through, he noticed only three entries that weren't from school were there. As he looked at the dates, they were all in the past week. He stared puzzled as to why he would take the time to write in this again. Otto quickly puts the journal down and looks downstairs to see Twister still looking around the garage for the camera. He thinks for a second. As he goes to put the journal back under the pillow, he hesitates, and looks back into it.

"I shouldn't. But I'll read just one."

As he opens the journal to the latest entry, he begins to read.

Monday, July 14th

Yo Journal Buddy.

"Journal Buddy?"

Otto begins to laugh as he continues to read on.

"I've been busy latley. All the gang hung out on Saturday at Ottos place. It was rad. Me and Anna are chill again. She's cool, just not in that way. It's weird. She's a cool person, just not the person I want to be with. I don't know..."

Otto continued to read about Twister's writing, from him working on his skating moves to boring classes and teachers. As Otto wondered if he should even keep reading, he came across a part that pricked his attention back.

"I saw him again today too. I mean I see him all the time, but every time is amazing. We walked by in the lunch room. He was chilling with the other gang members. He smiled and waved and so did me. I always get really nervus when I see him, but in a good way. I've never felt like that, you know? He's just...really cool. I know I said this before but...I think I like him. I still have no clue how to tell him. In time I guess..."

Otto stop reading and just continued to stare at the book, wondering what he just read. As he continued to think, he heard a loud noise from downstairs.

"I found it! You ready, Otto man?"

He quickly snaps out of his trans and puts the journal back under his pillow the way he found it, trying to make it seem like he never touched it.

"Give me a second and I'll be down."

After scrambling to fix the room, he quickly runs downstairs to meet Twister, as they head towards the park. The ride is quiet as they were both more focused to get there in a fast pace to catch up with everyone. As they finish the ride in, the group walks over to greet them, some in relief they made it and others frustrated. Reggie is the first to speak up.

"About time you two got here. No need to make him wait any longer."

Twister catches his breathe as he positions his camera at the bottom of the ramp. As he gets ready, he speaks up to Rick atop the ramp.

"I'm super sorry I got here so late."

Rick smiles back at Twister in his nervous state.

"You good. No worries."

Everyone soon gets themselves in position to watch, along with some spectators who noticed the group. Sam, Anna and Reggie all sit near the ramp in anxious wait. Jorge and Harmony stand farther back, while Otto stands far away, watching Rick while still thinking through what just happened at Twister's house. Rick looks down at Twister for a few seconds as he gives a thumbs up to inform him he's ready. Twister gives him a thumbs up back as he hits record.

"Alright dude. You got this."

Rick takes one more deep breathe as he prepares himself. Finally, he heads down the ramp and begins his run. Other than the time before, Rick takes a few trips up and down the ramp to get himself prepared for "The Disaster" again. As Rick takes one more easy trip up the ramp, he focuses himself and starts his descent down the ramp. As he hits the ollie 180 that screwed him up before, everyone begins to gasp in nervous watch, however Rick's practice pays off as he lands it with precision he wasn't even expecting. A cheer is heard from the gang as they meet him at the bottom of the ramp. Rick takes his helmet off in a sigh of relief.

"About time I nailed that one."

Reggie gives him a high five as the group congratulates him.

"Under pressure too. Sick move."

As they all calm themselves down, Anna speaks up.

"Let's go tell Raymundo and celebrate!"

The group starts to head out in excitement. As Rick takes his time walking behind the group, he notices Otto still at the ramp, seemingly lost in thought. Rick walks back towards him.

"You coming Otto"

He once again snaps out of his thought and looks at Rick.

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that."

As everyone heads over to the Shack, many of them had different thoughts on their mind. Most focused on celebrating the success of one of their friends, while others had pressing matters on their mind. They all ate a ton of food in excitement and continue to chat about the various of things they usually did throughout the normal day. They had gotten use to the company of a big group and enjoyed it immensely. Sure, life was much trickier for all of them since they had met up that first day, yet things were all in all better around each other, no matter what was going through their minds. Even with the new issues each person faced, life for all of them was still very good...


	12. Chapter 11: Confusion

"This is all happening so fast..."

It's late at night outside the Rodriguez house. Anna looks down at the ground as she starts to shed tears. Her hand tries to cover up her face. She feels something slowly remove her hand. Suddenly, she feels him presses his lips against hers. She looks up to see the boy she has fallen for. She smiles as she whispers.

"I love you, Lars."

He looks back into her eyes.

"I love you too, Anna."

They smile and kiss again, holding each other in their arms. As they finish, Anna's face turns to one of worry.

"How are we gonna explain this to everyone?"

Lars puts his arms around her waist as he reassures her.

"They'll understand. In time."

Anna returns to her smile as they hold each other. After a few minutes, Anna whispers in Lars' ear.

"We should go back in before they start to wonder."

Lars nods in a disappointed manner.

"You're right. Let's go."

They kiss swiftly one more time before walking into the house. As they enter, they see Raoul frozen watching television, with Sandy cooking in the Kitchen. Lars speaks nervously as he enters the door.

"Hey Dad."

Raoul looks away from the TV to see Lars standing in front of him, while Anna goes into the kitchen. In surprise, Raoul strongly responds.

"About time you kids got back. You're later than usual."

Lars slowly sits down on the couch as Anna responds to Raoul while makes a plate in the kitchen.

"Sorry. We just seemed to lose track of time."

Raoul looks behind him, then looks back at his son. Lars keeps his eyes on the TV, trying not to give his nervous thoughts away. Raoul looks back at the TV.

"That's fine. Just don't let it happen again."

Anna smirks as she enters the living room with her plate. They all stare at the TV for a few minutes before Anna asks a question.

"Where's Twister?"

Raoul keeps his eyes focused on the show as he answers her.

"Went to his room early. Seemed tired from the skating. Besides, it's a school night."

Anna nods and goes back to eating her food as they all sit and watch TV...

Otto is in the cafeteria eating. He's busy chatting up with Jorge, Rick and Sam. As they continue to talk, they notice Twister and Reggie walking by them. The whole gang smiled and waved at Twister and Reggie, as they both waved back with a smile. Twister then stops, and walks over to Otto slowly. Otto starts to get nervous, his face stuck in a cold stare. He tries to get out of his seat, yet by some force can not move. Twister starts to get very close to Otto...

"AH!"

Otto wakes up in a shriek. He realizes he's in his bed. His skateboard pajamas are soaked in sweat. He looks around to try and catch himself. After a few seconds of deep breathing, he starts to talk to himself.

"It was just a dream."

He sits on his bed, continuing to talk to himself.

"I don't know what to do. I can't lose my best friend in the world. But, I don't like him that way. He's just my best bro. I mean, he likes me...of all the people in the world, he likes me. I mean, we've been friends forever, but I just don't..."

Otto sighs. Then, his face quickly turns to a face of freight. He forgot Rick was sleeping right near him. His face turns to face Rick's bed, only to find the bed empty. He sighs in relief, and then speaks out loud again.

"Where did he go?"

Suddenly, he notices a light outside his window. It's on the table outside their house. He quietly walks out of his room downstairs, trying to stay as subtle as he can. As he opens the door outside, he notices two people on the bench. They both look back quickly. They start to whisper to each other. Otto approaches them slowly to realize Reggie and Rick are sitting next to each other. Rick in his tiger striped pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt, while Reggie wore her purple pajamas. Reggie notices first.

"Oh good. It's just Otto."

Reggie and Rick both look at each other and laugh quietly as Otto walks over and sits next to them. Just as he sits down, Otto questions them.

"What are you guys doing awake?"

Reggie looks at Rick as she answers.

"We both couldn't sleep. Rick apparently does this all the time. I found him a few nights ago, and just decided to join him."

Rick nods in approval to Reg as he speaks.

"I've never been a great sleeper. Took you guys two weeks to find out."

Reggie laughs. They all sit and stare off for a while before Otto breaks the silence.

"Why can't you sleep, Rick?"

Rick starts to ponder as he puts his hand on his head in wonder before responding.

"Mind's too busy"

Otto eyes' squint in confusion.

"Too busy with what?"

Rick sits and thinks, trying to find out how to word it.

"I still haven't gotten over things in the past. I know it's not healthy, but hopefully it just takes time."

Otto and Reg nod in approval as they sit in silence. After a few minutes, Reggie speaks.

"I'm gonna go get a drink. Anyone want one?"

Rick quickly jumps up right after she finishes her sentence.

"I got it. I want a drink anyway. You want a water, dude?"

Otto nods in approval as Rick quickly goes into the kitchen. Right as the door closes, Reggie begins to speak again.

"I think I like Rick."

Otto, clearly surprised, responds.

"For real?"

Reggie looks at him as she explains.

"Yeah. He's just...unique. He's smart. He's funny. He's a deep thinker, and he seems happy when I'm around. He's just great. I don't want another situation like Anna, so I might not tell him for a while and try to figure out on my own. But I felt like you should know."

Otto puts his arm around his sister.

"Thanks. Don't worry. I won't tell him. How will you know if he does?"

Reggie looks back to see Rick open the door and quietly responds as he approaches.

"I'll figure it out."

As she finishes her sentence, Rick approaches with the drinks.

"Sorry that took so long. Had to be really careful to not wake anyone up."

They both grab their drinks and take a big gulp. It was the perfect weather in the starry night. Not too hot. Not too cold. Perfect. As they all continued to sip their drinks, Otto spoke up.

"Really pumped you pulled off that trick today."

Rick smiles.

"The adrenaline's still kicking. Felt great."

Otto and Reg both jokingly pushed him around to show their support. Reggie put her arm around his shoulder as she spoke.

"You certainly nailed it. Had us all on our feet."

Rick smiles at her as she let go of him. Reggie looks back at the house.

"We should probably head back in."

Rick and Otto both nod in agreement as they finished their drinks and get up off the table. Before they made it back into the house, Reggie brings up a question.

"What are you guys doing tomorrow night? We could go to the peer and chill late. You down Rick?"

Rick thought for a split second before responding.

"Sure. I'm down."

Reggie then turned to Otto.

"How about you...Otto?"

The extra space in Reggie's question was meant to relay a message to Otto, which he received correctly.

"I was actually gonna watch some tape of my skating to try and improve. The contest is in two weeks so I don't have much time to watch it."

Reggie and Rick showed understanding in their faces. As Rick grabs the door, he responds with a question of his own.

"You watching the tape with Twist?"

Otto's face quickly turned to worry again as he went back in deep thought, yet it was near impossible for Reggie or Rick to see it in the darkness. He then realized Rick and Reggie were still waiting for an answer.

"Oh. Ummm yeah, I'll have Twister come over with the tape he has."

Rick finally opens the door to the house, and they all crept quickly back upstairs one at a time. Once they were all upstairs, Reggie walked towards her room, speaking very softly.

"Night guys."

Both boys responded at nearly the exact time.

"Night Reg."

Otto and Rick both slowly crept back into their rooms, closing the door behind them and walking towards their beds. They both got in their beds before Rick quickly speaks before getting comfortable.

"Hey. You okay man?"

Otto moves around under his sheets before responding.

"I'm fine."

Rick starts to get comfortable as well. He then speaks one last time before falling asleep.

"Night Otto."

"Night Rick."

They both start to drift off to sleep. They didn't realize it, but each had something on their mind. Not just them, but all the members of the crew. While they were united by the same overall situation, all had their own new and unique worries to deal with. That was their new life. They were just starting to understand it. Not just with the new people, but a whole new world. That was life. Through time, however, they would rely on each other to help them deal with each of their issues. It would be something that would test each and every one of them in a way they had not been tested before...


	13. Chapter 12: Hiding the Truth

"Your footwork is all off Otto..."

The room is bright with the light from Twister's camera on a Friday evening. Sam and Jorge, both still wearing the skating gear from earlier, are watching the footage from the camera as Twister holds it up. Twister is lying on Otto's bed, in full focus on watching the tape. Otto is pacing in his room slowly and repetitively, back and forth as he listens to the criticisms. The sweat starts to fall from Otto, whose pacing is increasing in speed as the others continue to comment on the skating. The frustration is painted on his face as he responds.

"My footwork? What's wrong with my footwork?"

Otto's had done well not to over-react to this point. He kept scratching his scalp, almost angry at himself. The other boys look relaxed as polar opposite to Otto's mood. Sam responds quickly.

"Well, the reason you're not landing The Casper Disaster is you're not letting your feet work together when you're trying to nudge the skateboard back down."

Otto shakes his head as his answer builds, showing more frustration.

"It's so fucking simple..."

Twister moves up to sit on the bed. His voice is softer than usual. His face reflects his worry, as he speaks up while setting his camera down.

"You're too hard on yourself Otto man. You're the best skater out there..."

Before Twister could finish, Otto quickly and sharply interrupts.

"NOT when I'm skating like that Twist!"

The room becomes deathly silent to the point of hearing a pin drop. For the first few seconds, none of them move a muscle. Otto's head drops, realizing what just happened. Sam, looking around at the tension in the room, decides to call it a day.

"Maybe we can continue this tomorrow or something."

The silence from everyone embraces Sam's proposal, as Otto goes downstairs without a peep. Twister slowly folds up his camera. He gets up, still flustered. His throat dries up as he thinks out loud.

"What's up with Otto lately?"

Twister looks at the two others on the bed. Sam looks over at Jorge himself, who looks up to both of them confused. His eyes move rapidly back and forth at the two of them in confusion. Eventually, Jorge silently shrugs his shoulders. Sam then looks back at Twister.

"Wish I knew. Whatever it is, it's really bothering him."

Twister sluggishly moves over the window fidgeting his fingers, clearly concerned for Otto.

"Should I go see if he's okay?"

Sam opens his mouth to respond, however before Sam can speak, Jorge's clear and calm voice breaks his silence to answer Twister.

"I'd give him some time, Twister."

Twister nods his head and plops on Rick's bed as he, Sam and Jorge sit there quietly. After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, Twister stands up distraught. He stares at the ground and he speaks.

"I've never seen Otto like this."

Sam looks up to Twister as he responds.

"He's never been one to show his feelings."

Jorge's voice is the next to enter back into the conversation.

"Whatever it is, he probably just wants to deal with it on his own."

Both Twister and Sam look over at Jorge, who is now lying on the bed with his eyes shut. Jorge seems calm and collected, yet also distant from the conversation the others are having. He continues.

"Whatever it is, I'm certainly not one to judge."

The awkwardness of the conversation is broken by the sound of Otto's footsteps loudly coming up the stairs. He slowly walks into the room as he speaks in a dull, monotone voice.

"You guys wanna skate around town for a bit 'till dinner's ready?"

The three quietly nod in agreement as they all walk out of the house and grab their skateboards. They ride down the street towards the town. Otto's skateboard travels at a blistering speed, out of site of the others. Twister tries to pick up his speed to catch up, while Sam and Jorge stay back, going at a leisurely pace. Jorge looks over to Sam as he tries to speak loud enough for him to hear.

"We gonna meet them back at Otto's?"

Sam looks over at Jorge for a split second. The lapse in thought causes him to wobble on his board. Sam quickly centers himself back. Once he regains his composure, he then shrugs his shoulders as he goes back to focusing on the ride. Jorge looks confused, but soon goes back to riding slowly towards the direction of Otto and Twister...

The Ferris Wheel on the peer shined bright, hovering over the town in the night sky. As it stopped to let another passenger on, Reggie and Rick's car reached the top of the ride. The sight of the moon overtook the night. Reggie looks unusually nervous. She's wearing her usual pants and a basketball sweatshirt Rick gave her earlier when she said she was cold. Her posture is still and shaky as she looks over at Rick.

"So. What do you think of the view?"

Rick is wearing a plain white Puma shirt and sweatpants. His eyes are traveling back from the sight of the moon to her rapidly. He looks back at her with a smile as he responds.

"Beautiful."

Reggie's face starts to blush red as Rick goes back to looking at the moon. After a few seconds, Rick chirps up.

"We might need to get comfy. Think whoever operates this thing went home for some sleep."

Reggie can't contain her giggling laugh as she looks over at Rick, sticking his tongue out at her. Rick goes to slouch down in his seat to enjoy the view before feeling the car beginning to move. Reggie looks at him in fear as he quickly picks himself back up. Rick begins to laugh.

"Well that was almost a mistake."

As the car begins to move, they begin to laugh with each other. Reggie puts her hand on Rick's arm as she laughs out loud. After a few more spins of joking around, their car lands at the bottom. They both step out, Rick struggling to walk normally as he exits the car. Reggie jokingly yells back at him.

"You need any help, clumsy?"

Rick, smirking back, sarcastically responds.

"Oh suuuure. Just because I nearly fall out of a moving Ferris Wheel, I'm considered "clumsy". I see how it is."

Reggie folds her arms at Rick. Her face still with a stamped smile on her face from the minute their feet hit the pier. Rick finally regains his composure, and they head back walking towards the town. As they walk down the pier, Rick begins to hum a tune out loud. It's of the song Reggie heard him sing a few Saturday's ago. After a minute, Reggie notices the noise, and stops her walking to point it out.

"Are you humming?"

Rick looks back at Reggie slowly.

"...Maybe?"

Reggie continues to smile as she speaks.

"I like it."

Just as they walked across from the beach, they see Harmony walking towards them in the distance. Rick continues to walk normally, while Reggie's smile begins to evaporate as they walk towards her. As they get closer, Harmony rushes towards the two with a question.

"Have either of you seen Anna anywhere?"

Reggie, trying to hide her inner frustration by putting her hand through her hair, responds calmly.

"No. Why?"

Harmony doesn't hesitate to begin her explanation.

"Anna told me she was going to meet me at the pier, so we could figure out how to finish our project for Science. Like, it's not a big deal that we get it done this week, but I suggested we meet today and..."

Rick interrupts Harmony's story to try and clear things up.

"Okay. Did she say where on the pier? Or what time?"

Harmony began to try and calm herself, breathing and composing herself as she answered.

"She said 8 tonight. Near the beach."

Rick chuckles to himself before he speaks.

"Harm. It's a lil' past 8. The mini-golf course just closed a few minutes ago. They always close at EXACTLY 8. Give her some time."

Harmony, now shaking her head and sighing in relief, is clearly embarrassed. She's quick to apologize.

"Geez. I'm sorry guys. Just got nervous. She's been acting weird lately."

Reggie speaks up right after Harmony.

"Seems like everyone is..."

Reggie then tries to subtly shift gears to move the conversation quicker.

"We're gonna go walk back home. We'll catch ya tomorrow at our place, right?"

Harm's face turns back to a smile.

"Definitely. See you guys later."

All three wave as Reggie and Rick walk away towards their home. The walk is long, yet the two of them entertain each other the whole way there with jokes and humor. They discussed whatever was on their minds for a solid 30 minutes. They seem at peace. They seem happy. Soon, they were near the house, with no sign of Otto or the rest of the gang. Rick speaks quietly.

"Looks like just your parents are here..."

Reggie suddenly pulls Rick towards the back of the house swiftly. She picks up speed, letting go of Rick's arm. Rick soon follows her, still confused. As they get to the back, Reggie faces Rick who is still trying to figure out what she's doing.

"Rick...I need to ask you something."

Rick looks back at Reggie, now visibly nervous.

"O...kay?"

Reggie prepares herself as she tries to center herself and piece her words together.

"I've gotten to know you so well in the past few days, Rick. You're a funny, caring guy. You clearly went through hell from the last person you were with, but it's clearly bothering you. I don't want you to be unhappy. I like you a lot. Like, a LOT. I think you should give it another chance. I've never really dated anyone in my life, but I want to try it...and I you seem like a great guy. So..."

As she pauses, Rick tries to collect himself as he sits down on the table. His eyes stay set on the ground, clearly deep in thought. Reggie becomes more and more nervous with each passing moment. Her eyes begin to water. Her arms become slouched. Rick stay silent as she speaks again.

"If you don't want to, I understand. I just...I feel like we connect. A lot. You deserve to be happy. You de..."

Just as she finishes her sentence, a very quiet and muffled sound comes from Rick. Reggie stops speaking, and looks at him in anxious wait. After a few more seconds, Rick's voice is heard much more clearly.

"You're right."

Reggie looks in surprise at Rick as he gets up off the table and walks to face her.

"You're right. I have to try and give it another chance. I have to try...and move on. With someone else. I'll try."

Reggie looks at Rick with a big smile, as she bear hugs him. Her face fills with tears of joy as Rick's face stays in one of deep thought and shock. Reggie lets go of her hug and they both smile at each other, before preparing to walk inside the house. Rick grabs the door in front of Reg, and pulls it back, holding it.

"Ladies first."

Reggie smile grows as she walks into the house. Rick takes a look at the moon for a few seconds, his mind still somewhere else. He grabs at his pocket where his wallet is, and then proceeds to enter the house. Many of the group were deeper in thought then they'd ever been in their lives. Things they had never expected to happened suddenly hit them right square in the face. None of them were prepared. I mean, how can you be prepared for life changing in such a short time? Some of them were elated, others conflicted, and some just plain confused about everything. They all had plans for the future. Some happy, some not-so happy. But for many of them, those plans would not pan out the way they thought. The world changes fast. Every single one of them, from that very moment, would learn that in near time...


	14. Chapter 13: Skepticism

"Burgers are done!"

The stampede of the kids' excited feet scamper to Raymundo with the plate of cheeseburgers. They each grab a burger and sit down on the table outside the Rocket house. Jorge slowly walks over, waiting for everyone else to grab theirs before reaching for his. His appearance seems sluggish and dull. His face cold and facing the ground. His posture stiff. He walks towards the group, who sit at the table near the back door of the Rockets house. As he sits down, he sees Reggie stand up in front of the group.

"Yo! Before we eat, I gotta say something."

Everyone looks up to Reggie. She takes a deep breathe and looks at Rick. She smiles. Rick slowly smirks, yet seems puzzled by what is happening. As she begins to speak, his head looks at the ground. Reggie can barely contain her excitement in her words.

"So. Me and Rick...are..."

As she states Rick's name, his eyes grow large. As his mind begins to put the pieces together in between pauses, his face turns into one of quick confusion before masking it with one of joy when he notices Reggie looking towards. She nods her head as she finally releases the word from her mouth.

"Dating!"

Rick tries to steady his emotions as he stares at his food. He can't contain what he's thinking without keeping himself active. He begins to bite into his cheeseburger. As he looks up, he realizes the majority of the group is looking straight at him. His eyes wander. He can feel the sweat falling from his head fast as he tries to act. Before he can do anything, Harm comes from behind him and gives him a hug, as everyone begins to laugh and celebrate. Rick quickly adjusts his attitude to fit the rest of the group. He breaks the silence once he calms down.

"Thanks guys."

Rick and Reggie begin to laugh as they talk with Otto, Twister and Harmony. Jorge stays quiet, and notices Anna is gone and Sam is walking away. Sam's steps are strong and forceful. It's clear he's angry. Jorge slowly follows him. Jorge's mind is already filled with thoughts, yet his worry for his friend trumps his own. Sam plops himself out of sight of the rest of the kids near the corner of the house, and begins to clench his fists. As Jorge gets closer, he uses more and more caution with each step. He eventually sits down next to him. He takes him time to collect himself before speaking.

"You alright?"

Sam continues to shake his head as he stays quiet. Jorge looks around, making sure no one is unexpectedly near. As he goes to rest his head on the house behind him, Sam strongly, but quietly speaks.

"It's not fair."

Jorge looks over at Sam, who is starting at the ground, still clearly in an angry state. Sam continues.

"It's not fair he gets to have her. It's not fair."

Jorge scoots over to Sam and puts his arm around him as he answers.

"You should say something. Don't let her go without a fight."

Sam barely moves a muscle as he continues the conversation. He's still in anger and enraged inside, composing himself by keeping his body in a frozen state.

"I've been friends with Reg for so long. Years. Waiting. Now he comes along for a few weeks and she's fallen for him. How in the world does that happen? Why?"

Jorge looks to Sam in concern. He continues to be slow responding to Sam, trying to find the way to say things without setting him off. Jorge knew Sam was in a sensitive position and he had to tread lightly. Almost like doing surgery. Very carefully. He chooses his next words with caution.

"You're right. It's not fair. I wish I knew what to do."

Sam looks at the ground completely dejected.

"Me too."

As they sit on the ground, they look out into space in silence. After a solid minute, Sam gets up, seemingly in control of his emotions, yet still subtly furious. He looks down at Jorge.

"I'm gonna go take a quick walk around to calm myself. Wanna tell them I'm okay?"

Jorge nods his head and Sam slowly walks towards the street. Jorge thinks about trying to join him, yet walks back towards the group, realizing Sam needs the time to himself. Jorge is about to turn the corner to the yard with the table when Harmony suddenly appears right in front of him. Jorge nearly falls over avoiding running into her. She quickly goes to grab his arm to help him up. Her voice cracks with worry.

"Oh my God. Are you okay?"

Jorge grabs her arm softly as she helps him up.

"I'm fine Harm. Just took me by surprise."

Harmony softly giggles, putting her hand over her mouth slightly embarrassed before responding.

"I tend to do that a lot"

As the both collect themselves, they walk over to the back, which is clear of all the other kids. Harmony explains to Jorge that most of them were inside helping Raymoundo with something. She walked him over to the table and they sat down. Harmony seemed shaky. Much more nervous than Jorge had ever seen her before. Seconds before he could ask her what was wrong, Harmony posed Jorge a question.

"Okay. Honest opinion. Do you think Rick and Reg are gonna work out?"

Jorge looks up at her eyes wide open and face shook. Harmony's face shows clear worry and doubt in what she just spoke. She continues to press her lips and play with her hair, occupying herself from the stress. Jorge opens his mouth a few times, yet hesitates to release any words in the first few tries. After a solid 30 seconds, he answers.

"It could work out..."

Harmony's face turns to one of disbelief.

"Really, Jorge? They don't really compliment each other at all, and Rick didn't even look comfortable with the idea. I could see it."

Jorge begrudgingly nods his head in agreement.

"I saw it too, Harm. I didn't want to be too honest..."

As they speak, the door to the back opens, and they quickly look over to see Otto walking towards them. They try to hide their awkward faces from Otto. He walks over to the two with a confused look, making the already concerned faces of Harmony and Jorge even more awkward. As Otto stares at the two of them, he continues to squint his eyes, wondering what the two were so nervous for. He then utters a question.

"Have either of you seen Sam?"

They both look rapidly at each other, then simultaneously at Otto before Jorge responds.

"He said he wanted to walk around for a little bit. He might be down the road. I'll go look for him."

Jorge quickly bolts out of the situation and runs down the road. Otto and Harmony look in confusion at his rapid exit from the scene. Afterwards, they turn towards each other, and shrug their shoulders. Harmony soon breaks the silence.

"Wanna follow him?"

Otto looks back towards the house, then back at her.

"Sure."

They both get up slowly and walk towards where Jorge ran off to, however when they turn to the front of the house, no sight of Jorge or Sam is seen. Harmony glances at the street, slowly from left to right as Otto just seems to stare off into space. His thoughts are far from the task at hand. He tends to look back towards the house ever few steps. As he goes back to look once again, he is shook by Harmony's voice.

"Where in the world did they go?"

Otto looks back at her and just shrugs his shoulders once again. Harmony fires another question at him.

"Have an idea where they might be, Mr. Rocket?"

Otto looks as if he's deep in thought, when in reality he barely hears what Harmony even says. He continues to glance his eyes in the window of his house, as Harmony waits for a response. He looks over to see Reggie and Twister are chatting in the window. He tries to turn his head to get a better view.

"HELLO!?"

Harmony's voice causes him to nearly jump off the ground. He looks back to see Harmony with hands on her hips and a tone of impatience written on her face. She is not shy to voice her frustration.

"I asked you a question, Señor Rocket. Where do you think they could've gone?"

Otto tries to gather himself, however before they can, they hear the rustle of a bush in a house near the Rockets. It takes both Harmony and the extra jumpy Otto off guard quickly. They look to see someone moving over in the bushes, yet it is clear the person is too tall to be Sam, and the person is too skinny to be Jorge. Harmony looks over once again to the rattled Otto.

"Otto. Who is that?"

For the first time, Otto's shaky voice opens to respond.

"I have no idea, H."

They both look back at the house, then back at each other. Harmony is in a sense of curiosity, while Otto's is more one of being shook. It seems quite odd to Harmony that Otto, especially in recent history, had changed. Even though she had only known him for a while, this did not seem like the person Reggie and the others talked about so much. Harmony's curiosity got the better of her, as she briefly changes subject as they look on the bush.

"What's been up with you lately? First you act like you don't wanna chill with people, and now you're Jumping Jack Rabbit over anything that moves or makes sound. What gives?"

Otto wants to originally ignore Harmony's question, but then comes to the realization of his recent actions. He starts to deeply think about the way he's been acting, and how the others could be seeing what he's doing as suspicious. The realization causes him even more worry about people questioning him. He knew the secret he had only found out only a few days ago was something that could hurt people. He had to keep it hidden. But how? When it bothered him so much, and made him worry about his best friend and his brother? How?

He snaps back out of his thinking trance to see Harmony looking back at the bush, shaking her head. The noises from the bushes can still be heard, as she focuses on those. Otto doesn't know how long he dazed off in his thoughts once again. He quickly answered her original question.

"I've got a lot on my mind. The skating tournament is coming up and I can't lose that. And everything going on is just...freaky."

Harmony, originally shocked Otto actually answered her, starts to listen to what he says. While she knows he's hiding more in his answer, she could understand it may not be worth discussing now. She gives a smirk to Otto as she responds.

"I can understand that. "

Harmony then begins to tip-toe off towards the house the noises were coming from. Otto taps her arm to get her attention before she wanders off.

"The world do you think you're going, H?"

Harmony, clearly focused on her task, doesn't look back as she responds.

"I can't wait anymore, Otto. I have to figure out what is making that noise."

As she makes it halfway towards the house, she motions Otto to follow her. With a reactionary decision, Otto decides to follow her. They creep towards the house, trying not to trip on anything in the road. They stop every few steps, cautious as to whatever is making the sound. As they get at the house, Harmony looks over the fence, yet can't see anything. She motions Otto again to follow her, and while he is frustrated to not be in charge, he goes along with her plan. She follows the fence to the backyard, yet swiftly ducks her head when she spots someone. As she does, she pulls Otto down with her.

"Jesus H, you nearly broke my arm."

Ignoring Otto's frustrated tone, she looks over to him and whispers a realization.

"There are people here. In the backyard."

Otto thought to himself for a second before responding.

"At the Stimpleton's? Why?"

Harmony looks at Otto in a very serious face, which catches Otto off guard once again. She simple nods towards him, and waits for him to reciprocate the command, which he eventually does. As they both slowly peak their eyes over the fence, they both see something they were not prepared for.

It was Anna. She was standing right in front of Twister's brother, Lars. And they were...KISSING?

They both stare for a few seconds before falling back behind the fence, staring at each other in pure shock. Eyes widened. After a solid minute of silence, Harmony whispers to Otto.

"We should head back."

Otto gives her a thumbs up and they slowly tread back. In a day where feelings were expressed by many, the biggest ones were the ones that weren't said. All of the kids were dealing with secrets and emotions they knew, but couldn't express. It was a difficult time. Something none of them have handled before. What to do, how to explain it Each of these problems was something they didn't quite understand yet. And in due time, they would have to face the secrets and emotions they were holding in. Whether they had planned on it or not...


	15. Chapter 14: Questions

The sound of tourists rush by on a warm Tuesday afternoon. Summer is approaching. Everyone has been warned about the flock of people visiting from every other direction. Jorge could barely eat his cheeseburger at The Shack without people bumping into his table. The lack of space bothers Jorge. All he can think about is how to get away from everything, yet the people overflowing everywhere prevented that from happening anytime soon. It's clear he is not happy. As he continues to stare at all the people, a familiar sound hits his ear. A skateboard comes whizzing down the street. It stops abruptly and people begin to look over. Jorge tries to see from the crowd what is happening. Just then, he can hear a voice.

"I'm iight. I'm fine. Sorry about that."

It was Rick. He's apologizing to a tourist in a Hawaiian shirt and Kakhi Shorts. From what Jorge saw, he ran into him while skating down the street. Rick weaves his way through people to reach Jorge's table. Rick is apparently unaware of the long, deep cut on his forehead. He seems phased out of his surroundings. As he sees Jorge, he nods his head in acknowledgment and begins to sit down. Jorge points out his injury.

"You do realize you sliced your forehead, right?"

Rick puts his hand on his forehead, then looks at it to see the blood drip off his finger. His eyes widen.

"Oh...that's interesting."

Rick laughs for a bit before he takes a napkin and covers his wound up. As Rick looks up, he sees Jorge with a very baffled look to his face. Rick assures him.

"I'm used to it."

Jorge still seems skeptical of Rick's treatment, but trusts his judgment. Rick had injured himself quite a bit since Jorge had met him. It surprised Jorge just how injury-prone Rick really was. As Jorge finishes up his burger, he looks over at Rick, who is curiously staring at all the people passing by. Jorge was used to the amount of people, however that wasn't the case for Rick. He came from a small town. The vast amount of people threw him for a loop. Once Jorge finishes his burger, he begins to converse with Rick.

"So, what's being in a relationship like?"

Rick shrugs his shoulders,

"I don't know. It's okay."

Jorge still looks completely baffled. He's been in a few relationships and he's never felt that uninspired by it after just a few days. From what he's seen from Rick, however, he never seemed inspired by the idea. His attitude the day Reggie told them was odd. Jorge wasn't sure what was going on...and wasn't afraid to try and figure out.

"Just okay? Come on Rick. How is it really going?"

Rick continues to look at the tourists passing by. The situation he found himself in was quite uncomfortable. His mind wandered back and forth towards his true feelings towards the relationship, however he didn't make them public. While in the mental trance, he answers Jorge in a monotone reply.

"It's good."

Jorge internally understands he won't get an answer more revealing from Rick there. He veers to another subject.

"You miss home?"

Rick instantly looks to Jorge. The subject of his home is something Rick is still not happy to hear. His answer is swift and confident.

"No. You?"

Jorge looks up to the sky. He seems unsteady in his emotions.

"Kind of. Don't you want to see your family again? Your friends? Your..."

Just as he is about to go on, Rick interrupts him in the same tone of voice.

"Nope. It's in the past. I can't go back."

Jorge grows quiet. Rick notices and quickly tries to remedy the situation in a much calmer voice.

"Sorry man. Don't mean to be rude. Just, my past is dark. I don't miss it. At all."

Jorge nods his head, showing a smirk on his face as he accepts Rick's apology.

"It's okay, Rick."

They both go back to eating their food in front of them, studying the tourists as they pass...

It's around 4 PM at the Dullard house. The weather outside is sunny and beautiful. Twister sees himself looking out the window constantly until a voice of reality hits him.

"Twist! Pay attention!"

Sam has to keep retaining Twister's attention. In Twister's mind, Sam was much more forceful today than he usually is. Sam has been helping Twister with his homework for the past few months, to help him get his grades up. The past few weeks have been tough on him, and his grades had suffered. Sam, being the helpful friend he always had been, told him he would help out. Today was Math, which made Twister's attention span less than usual. His stress is clear when he speaks.

"I'm trying Squid. I can't figure out how to do this "long division" garbage. It's too hard."

Sam's patience is lower than usual today. He seems much more irritated and angrier than Twister had ever seen him before. Sam tries to de-stress things for Twister.

"Let's just take a 5-minute break, okay?"

Twister sighs in relief.

"Awesome!"

Twister and Sam go to grab their sodas beside them and relax. Both had been uncomfortable. While Sam was much more aggressive, Twister's attitude showed more worry and confusion than usual. He seems unsure of anything he said or did. They both were having crisis' of their own, just like everyone else in the group. After a minute of silence, Sam spurts out a question to Twister.

"Have you ever felt ignored?"

Twister thinks for a split second before responding.

"Yeah. Actually I've felt that pretty recently."

Sam looks at Twister, ready to say exactly what he's thinking.

"With Otto?"

Twister looks up at Sam.

"Yeah. You feeling that way too?"

The both look at each other, realizing the true understanding of each other's troubling position. Twister didn't think Sam had caught on to how Otto had been acting, but he knew Sam was smart. He wasn't surprised he caught on. He envied that about Sam. He still didn't know what Sam was stressing over, but he was happy he didn't have to keep one thing quiet with his friend.

"I don't know what's up with Otto lately, man. He's my best friend. Why is he acting this way?"

Sam wants to help Twister. He sees his friend upset and frustrated over how Otto is acting. However, Sam had his own problems with Reggie. And he had no idea why Otto was being so whacky of late. He tried to give his best answer to Twister.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you should talk to him about it."

Twister tries to absorb what Sam says. He wants to talk to Otto. He felt shy about it for some reason. Otto is his best friend. His brother. Why is he struggling to talk to him? Is it his attitude? Twister wasn't even sure. He just wanted to know what was wrong. How he could help. His response to Sam is slow to come from his mouth.

"I guess."

Twister then tries to change the subject

"Anyway. What are you feeling ignored by?"

Sam quickly realizes the awkwardness of the situation he put on himself. While Twister was his friend, he didn't want to discuss his internal feelings about Reggie right now. He was already so upset by it. He looked at the clock, and respectfully deterred the question.

"Nothing. We gotta get back to work."

Twister looks up at the clock and sighs disappointingly.

"Aw man..."

Twister rests his head on his hand as Sam picks up the homework and goes over the next question...

The sky is growing dark. Anna wished she was home with Lars, since Twister was still at Sam's house and Lars' parents were on a date. However, Otto and Harmony asked her to come help them with something at Otto's place. Anna knew she became distant from the group and perhaps maybe this could temper any worries they had. She wants to tell everyone about Lars. She just doesn't know how. Everything got so complicated so fast. One day Lars makes moves on her and she just couldn't resist. After Twister's rejection, she needed someone to fall on. Lars was that. She didn't expect anyone to understand. She didn't really care. She felt happy. As she walks towards the house, she sees Otto and Harmony working on the ramp behind Otto's house. It had taken a beating over the years, and Raymundo wanted to get it back to working shape again. As she walks up to them, Otto and Harmony look quite serious to her. She wasn't expecting that. After a fair amount of silence, Anna speaks.

"What are you guys doing?"

Otto continues to work diligently as Harmony responds firmly to Anna's question.

"Fixing up the ramp. Can you help me hold this end up so Otto can fix it?"

Anna nods her head and joins Harmony in lifting the ramp. Otto slides under and starts working on fixing the hole on the bottom. Otto seems completely focused on what he was doing, rarely making eye contact with anyone. Harmony was much less subtle. Her eyes continue to wander to Anna, giving the brunette worry. Anna didn't know what Harmony kept glancing at her for, but she knew it wasn't normal. She finally brings up her quarry.

"Everything okay, Harm? You keep staring at me..."

Harmony attempts to think about how to skate around the issue, yet comes to the conclusion in little time that she had to be straight up with her friend. She was never a person to hold back what she wanted to say. Honesty is her key in life, whether people want to hear it or not. She sighed before she spoke.

"I have to be honest with you Anna. I...We...saw you and Lars together."

Anna nearly lets go of the ramp she is holding, quickly getting her grip back before the ramp falls on Otto. He panics and rolls his way out from under. Everyone tries to catch themselves before carefully putting the ramp back down and facing each other. Anna speaks in pure shock.

"We were so careful though. How could..."

Before she could finish, Harmony explains.

"We were looking for Sam last Saturday. We heard the bushes and followed you to the Stimpletons."

Anna shook. She was scared to face what she couldn't hide any longer. She tried so hard to make sure no one found out and by dumb luck, they caught her red handed. She walks over to the picnic table, plenty of emotions pouring out. Tears. Fists clenched. Head shaking vigorously. Petrified look on her face. Harmony follows her, ready to catch her in case she falls or passes out due to shock. Harmony tries to console her.

"It's okay girl. You're going to be okay."

Otto walks along with them slowly. He's not very good in these situations, but knows it's important to do whatever he can to help. He tries to bring his own words of wisdom.

"You didn't do anything wrong, A. We just wondered. It's surprising...but if you're happy, then that's what matters, right?"

Harmony looks up to Otto and smiles, showing her pleasure for his response. Anna smiles at Otto as well. She didn't expect them to be as understanding as they were. She was not sure about the others in the group, especially one...

"I'm scared. What if Twister finds out? Or his parents? They'll throw me out..."

Harmony continues to console her. She can see Anna is in a fragile state, all due to Harmony's lack of subtly. She couldn't help it. That's who she is. As she tries to think of what to say, Otto beats her to the punch.

"Look A, no matter what Twist or his parents think of the situation, we have your back. You won't go anywhere. No body is going to hurt you. But trying to hide it from everyone isn't going to do you any good."

Anna looks up to him as he speaks. Her face turns much calmer with each word Otto says. It was odd to hear it from him. She had not been prepared for him to understand in any way the situation she had fallen into. She was still grateful for the advice.

"You're right. I just have to tell everyone. I'll talk to him tonight about it. We'll figure it out."

Harmony's face blossoms with a great white smile, as she goes to hug Anna. Afterwards, Anna gets up and hugs Otto. It seemed odd to both her and Harmony at the attitude change Otto had. He wasn't someone to showcase any emotion before. Something had changed, yet neither were going to try and pry. They were happy with it. All three of them laughed before getting back to working on the ramp once again. Harmony and Anna held it up, and Otto nudged his way under again to work. As they hold up the ramp, they begin to converse. Talking about school and what not. After a minute or so, Anna brings up the timing of what was to come.

"It just seems weird to be doing this right after Reg and Rick. Like, I just worry people will think I'm just being stupid compared to those two."

Harmony gives an less than convinced look to her friend before responding.

"This is not about them. This is about you and Lars. You'll be fine. You just gotta believe in your friends, girl."

Anna nods in agreement. Harmony quickly follows her answer with a quizzical thought.

"I'm still not buying Reggie and Rick one-hundred percent anyway..."

Anna looks surprised at Harmony's words. The honesty she possessed didn't take her for surprise, but her feelings towards that relationship did. Anna always thought Reggie and Rick seem like a "perfect couple" situation. They seemed to push each other to be better. They seemed to support each other. Her reply shows she didn't understand the worry.

"They'll work out. They compliment each other so well."

Harmony's answer is packed with doubt.

"I'm not so sure Anna, but we'll see..."

As they continue to talk to each other, Otto appears from under the ramp.

"I gotta get some tape from inside. I'll be back."

Otto takes off inside the house. He goes into the garage to get the tape. Before he goes back outside, he sits down on the gravel in the basement. He rubs his face as he whispers to himself.

"You really listen to your advice, don't you Otto..."

He knew the words of wisdom her gave to Anna were hypocritical. He only knew what to say because of what was happening with Twister. He just couldn't follow his own advice. It bothers him. He sat quietly and thought for a few minutes before getting back up. He whispers to himself again.

"Maybe I should ask Twi..."

He stops himself from speaking before shaking his head and walking back outside to work on the ramp again. He knew he couldn't hold everything in for much longer. His mental state was fragile, as was everyone's in the group. Emotions take their tole on even the strongest souls. Their youth gave them false hope they could hide their pain and struggles for the better of each other. What they didn't realize at that moment was the strength they needed to pass through those struggles would be found in each other. They would only pass through the tough times together. It was something they would realize. In time, that is...


	16. Chapter 15: Drop the Puck

It was only an hour after the school bell rang on Friday that the gang were back at it. Outside the Rocket's house, the goals were set up. The skates on all of their feet. Everything was set. On one side, Jorge stood wearing his goalie gear, while Anna and Harmony both in front of him. On the other, Sam stood still in goal as Twister and Reggie stood ahead. They all looked on as Rick and Otto stood in the middle, ready to begin. Otto quickly gets in one more friendly jab at his friends on the other side.

"You're going down. Can't beat us. We've been playing for years..."

Rick looks up at Otto and gives a competitive smirk

"We'll see about that..."

They stare each other down for a few seconds before tapping their sticks and starting the game. Early on, the game went the way of the Rocket Gang. Otto scored a few goals by maneuvering around Rick for position near Jorge. Anna and Harmony struggled to keep up with the speed of Reggie and Twister, leaving Rick in poor positions. On one play, Rick faces Otto and Twister as he approaches Sam guarding the goal. As he goes to shoot, Twister tries to swipe the puck away and hits Rick on the ankle. He falls to the ground fast, clearly in pain. Twister quickly got down towards him.

"Rick! Man, I'm so sorry. Please tell me you're okay..."

The rest of the gang quickly came to Rick. He takes his time getting up, but seems in tact. He wipes the dirt off of himself, trying not to act hurt. He put his hand on Twister's shoulder to comfort him.

"I'm iight. Don't worry about it, Twist. You good, my man. Let's get back to it."

The game finished the way it started, with the Rocket Gang in complete control the whole way through. It was clear everyone knew it was a friendly game, as they all laugh and joke around afterwards inside the Rocket's house. Twister and Reggie finish putting all the hockey gear back in the garage. Otto starts the trash talk in quite the cocky tone.

"Told ya we'd win! The best there ever was!"

The other kids roll their eyes at Otto as Rick, who still seems frustrated at himself, responds.

"Calm down, Otto. Your ego might break the roof..."

A hearty laughter is heard from the group as Rick looks up at the clock in shock.

"It's already 5:30? Shit...I gotta practice for the tournament."

Otto speaks up before Rick walks out the door.

"I'll be there in 30."

Rick nods back as he grabs his skateboard swiftly and heads out the door. After another few minutes of chatter, Twister and Reggie walk back into the room. Twister looks around before speaking up.

"Where's Rick?"

Sam was the first to look up at Twister from the couch. He was watching TV with the rest of the group with him, Anna and Jorge taking up the couch. He responds in a dull voice.

"He went to the skate park."

As Twister leans towards the wall, with all the other seats taken, he shares his disappointment.

"Aw man..."

Jorge looks over, quick to explain his fast departure.

"He just wants to get some extra runs in. Probably really nervous about his first skate tourney."

Everyone nods in agreement for a few seconds. Reggie, who had stayed quiet since Rick left, looks over to her brother in surprise. She waits for him to meet eye contact with her before she threw a question at him.

"Isn't this where you usually go, "I'm not nervous at all.", or "Nervous? Ha! I've already got this in the bag"?

Otto, who was previously staring off into the distance unaware of the conversation, brings his attention back to Reggie. As he looks up, he realizes everyone in the room is glancing towards him. He quickly recovers in time to respond to Reggie in his old fashion.

"Me? I'm not nervous! Why would I be?"

They all look unimpressed by Otto's answer, yet not surprised at his cocky behavior. Reggie saw an opportunity and continues to throw doubt at Otto.

"You don't think Rick just might beat you?"

Otto quickly and almost disgustingly diminishes the idea.

"Not a chance! He's still learning. I'm the best!"

Otto's mind starts to run as he looks around the room. Did his friends really believe he'd be beat by a kid who arrived just a few months ago? He'd been doing this his whole life. As Otto laid deep in thought, Sam went with Reggie on the subject.

"Rick's gotten pretty good dude..."

Otto, becoming nervous, jumping to the defensive.

"He ain't gonna beat me! I'm telling you!"

The look on the others faces said it all. They all look at Otto in surprise as he became so adamant on defending his stance as "The Best". Otto notices the awkwardness, and finds a reason to flee.

"I'm gonna get some extra practice in too."

It takes only a few seconds for Otto to grab his gear and forcefully slam the door. The group grows silent. The outburst was something some had been used to, while the others had yet to grasp how common an occurrence it was. Harmony, the most worried of the group, quickly voices her concern.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

Reggie shows her frustration over Otto's actions in her answer.

"He's just being a baby..."

As most of the group went back to watching TV or talking to each other, Reggie notices Twister walk up next to her and speak a question.

"What if Otto...actually thinks Rick can beat him. Like, could he?"

Reggie gives a hearty laugh as she responds.

"I sure hope so!"

Twister's reaction veers the other way. He seems concerned. He looks at the door and thinks to himself. He knew Otto had the skill to be the best. He always believed that. At the same time, Rick was good. Really good. Could Otto actually lose? Maybe Rick was just as good...or even...better? And how much would that crush Otto? Could his bro lose to this dude? There was just something about Rick Twister couldn't get a grasp on. After thinking, he took a step to the door. He stops, shakes his head and heads back to the others to watch TV...

Otto skates as fast as he can down the street towards the skatepark. It's late, and usually the park closes before this time. However, Friday nights gives for late skating, an opportunity Otto nor Rick could pass up with the tournament just over a week away. As he got to the park, he looked in surprise as it seemed oddly quiet. Only three other kids were skating, one of them being Rick. He sees Rick skating in the bowl and watches until Rick notices him. They greet each other as usual and tag-team to work on some grinds. Otto's technique is clearly stronger on the grinds, which seems to be Rick's weak point. As Otto perfectly lands a crooked grind, Rick goes to copy his move. Unfortunately, Rick's timing is off, and he falls off, twisting his already hurt ankle in the process. Otto quickly goes to help him up.

"Geez, man. You hurt again?"

Rick seems in more pain than earlier, looking at his bruised ankle as he speaks.

"If I wasn't so fff...clumsy, I might actually be able to do one stupid move..."

Rick limps his way over to the bench as Otto follows. Rick continues to beat himself up over the injury he just suffered.

"I'm a week away from this tournament and can't go one day without screwing something up. I don't have a chance in hell..."

Otto tries to calm Rick down.

"You can't just give up, dude. I need someone to compete against."

Rick looks up at Otto in confusion as he answers.

"Give up? I'm not giving up. Just pointing out the obvious. I can't grind. Every time I try, I bust an ankle or a rib or some stupid shit..."

Otto looks over at the rail, then back at Rick before giving his advice.

"Grinding is all balance. You gotta focus on balancing your weight on the skateboard. If you're not 100% focused, you'll screw it up every time."

Otto looks at him for a second. It was clear to him Rick was far from focused on anything. His mind seems scrambled. Out of sorts. He thought Rick getting together with Reg would bring him stability, yet all it brought him was more dismay. Rick didn't seem any happier than he was before the relationship. It came as a modest surprise, due to how happy Reggie was about it. Even though Otto wasn't exactly "balanced", he seemed much more than Rick. Otto became curious.

"How are you and Reggie doing anyway? She doesn't tell me anything, and you've been quiet as hell of late."

Rick continues to stare at his ankle as he responds.

"It's going. We've been too busy of late to hang out, but it's chill..."

The hesitant and vague answer from Rick threw Otto for a loop, but he wasn't someone to pry on someone else about their life. Rick takes an attempt to get back on his feet to continue practicing, yet it's clear he is still struggling greatly. Otto intervenes as soon as he can.

"Dude, you gotta ice that and rest it for the night."

Rick sits back down on the bench in frustration. Otto goes back to skate for a while, working on a various amount of moves. Rick sits and watches, contemplating things. His mind had been racing like crazy of late and had used practice as an excuse to shut up the madness in his head. Sitting there just forced him to face it head on. He was never good at handling life. This was just another series of events he wasn't prepared for. He had to try and talk himself through this once again. But...how? Just as he starts to get deep in thought, Otto returns from his practice session.

"You ready to head back?"

Rick snaps himself out of his trance quickly to respond.

"Yeah! Let's go..."

As they head out, they both realize Rick's pain has not subsided. He's still grimacing as they head back up to their house. Otto tries to help Rick out as much as he can, yet Rick's stubborn, trying to push through the injury and get home. As they get about half-way there, Rick begins to break the silence.

"Yo, you been iight lately, man?

Otto has a quizzical look on his face as he responds.

"Yeah...why?"

Rick takes a few seconds before continuing.

"Well you've been acting...a little odd lately."

Otto's face grows in confusion as he stays back, making sure Rick doesn't fall too far behind.

"How so?"

Rick stops his skateboard, motioning for Otto to stop his. Otto realizes Rick's concern is serious, making him grow even more nervous than before. Did he find out? And how? As he thinks this, Rick speaks his quarry.

"Okay, so when I first came here, you were always the first one gun-ho to do shit. Now it almost seems like you're TRYING to avoid doing stuff with the rest of the group. Sure, it hasn't been avoidance with me per-say, but with Twister and the others. Is something up?"

Otto's nerves show all over his face, as does Rick's. While Otto's eyes wandered uncontrollably when he was anxious about the situation, Rick's face hit the ground and his hands go into his pockets, almost like a turtle retreating to its shell to avoid danger. The awkwardness overcame them, as they continued to bike the way back to the others. As they got near the house, Otto stops once again. He knew he had to try and let something out.

"Look. With the big tournament coming up and all the drama everyone else is dealing with, I'm just holding in what I can. I'll be fine."

Rick's curiosity peaks.

"Holding in? Like a secret?"

Otto's eyes go back to moving back and forth swiftly as he responds.

"Sort-of? I mean..."

Rick doesn't wait for Otto to finish before he responds.

"Secrets are lethal, dude. You think you can hide them forever. Keep them apart from those around you so they're not hurt. I get that. But they'll eat away. Over time, you start to lose your mind over it. You can't hold that shit in without it making you go nuts. Trust me. I know..."

Otto nods. He knows everything Rick says is true. He just had no idea how to handle the situation. Who in the world would understand the secret he was hiding? And how could he do it without it spreading? Twister would never forgive him. That being said, he knows Rick is right. That's the worst part of it all. He tries to come up with a respectable response.

"I feel you. Thanks man."

Rick smirks as he answers.

"No problem, dude."

As Otto walks to the house, Rick takes his time, gingerly walking. Before entering the house, he goes back into his wallet. He takes the picture in his wallet out one more time, looking at it. He shakes his head, taking a deep sigh and returning the picture into his wallet.

"No. Not yet..."

Rick walks towards the house as Reggie opens the door to greet him, helping him back inside. It was funny how similar the kids problems were, even if they didn't realize it. The only one to even have their secret come out was Anna. They paved way for a lot of the issues. None of them wanted to hurt each other by revealing the "dark parts" of their lives they had not opened up. It was scary. They all knew there would come a point where those secrets would be no more. For almost the entire group, the problem of having to hold them in from the others was clear as day. They all dealt with it, in one way or another. They weren't ready for their secrets to be revealed. It was a lesson approaching them soon. Eventually, as the saying goes,"The Truth Shall Set You Free"...


	17. Chapter 16: Running Away

Jorge sits at his desk on a Monday afternoon at school. His eyes stare straight at the clock. 2:55. It was so close to being the end of another long day. His mind steadily focused on the hands as they move closer and closer to the sound of the bell. He sighs. Slouched in his chair falling more and more with each passing moment. Soon after, the clock finally strikes three. He finally moves his eyes away from the clock and leaves his seat. His posture is still extremely slouched as he walks with his eyes nearly locked to the ground. As he gets closer to the door, he spots Harmony looking around for him. He pauses, tries to make it seem that he's in a decent mood, and begins to walk towards her. After a few steps, she notices him and waves her hand. He waves back and heads over to her as she speaks.

"Hey there! How was history?"

Jorge looks at her with a soft grin.

"I survived, so there's that."

Harmony laughs as they walk out of the doors to the school. She seems in her usual "chipper" mood. Jorge admired the fact she knew how to take the positives out of life and roll with it. He sort-of envied it. She hums happily along as they walk down the street. Harmony interrupts her humming to speak.

"I wanna try and get the gang to hang out this Saturday, since last week didn't work out. You down?"

Jorge looks over at Harmony and tries to smile.

"Yeah, I..."

Before he can say anything else, Harmony continues speaking.

"Okay, good! We just have to get the rest of them on board again. It shouldn't be too hard."

Jorge goes back to his reserved state, putting his hands in his pockets and keeping his head tilted towards the ground. Harmony, oblivious to Jorge's change of mood, speaks in the same quick tone as before.

"The gang wants to meet down at The Shack again to get some grub, so I just figured I could ask them there. It shouldn't be a big..."

Harmony looks over at Jorge to realize his demeanor. She silences herself and ceases walking as she looks over at Jorge until he looks back at her. She then asks him.

"What's up? You seem down."

Jorge quickly fabricates a quick fib.

"Oh. I was just tired from class. You know how boring history is..."

Harmony senses the dishonesty in Jorge's statement, yet decides to stay mute and continues to walk. As they approach the shack, Jorge interrupts the walk.

"Hey, I gotta finish up some work at home."

Harmony looks at him confused.

"Oh...Umm...Ok."

Jorge quickly retreats, subtly squeezing in one last farewell.

"Bye."

Jorge walks off as Harmony continues to walk towards The Shack. Jorge had been acting very odd of late, but nobody could pinpoint why. Harmony had an idea he was unhappy, but couldn't figure out what exactly was bringing him down. As she approaches The Shack, she notices Twister and Anna sitting alone at a table. Harmony approaches them with a big smile.

"Hey guys! Where is everyone?"

Twister is the first to respond.

"Well, Rick and Otto-man are still practicing for the tournament, while..."

Anna interrupts him.

"Reggie wanted to talk to Sam after school. She said they'd be here a little late."

Harmony sits down quickly as she speaks.

"No worries. We can wait."

Harmony looks around to see the two of them in not-so-bright moods either. Anna's more of a frustrated look, while Twister's one more of worry and deep thought. Harmony tries to get them talking to see if she can figure out the problem.

"Monday's are the worst."

While Twister stays fairly quiet, Anna bites on Harmony's bait.

"You're telling me. Where do I even begin?"

As Twister and Harmony listen, Anna begins to go off on her day as they wait for the others...

Reggie and Sam are sitting down on a bench outside the school. The big rush of kids getting out had already passed, making the area they were talking fairly quiet. Sam's voice states his concern as he begins the conversation.

"Is everything alright? You seemed pretty upset when you asked me here at lunch."

Reggie's frustration is clear on her face as she responds.

"It's just...Rick..."

Sam quickly stands up.

"Rick? Did he hurt you?"

Reggie quietly chuckles.

"No, No. I just worry he might not be really into this relationship. Like..."

Reggie thinks for a second before continuing.

"We're walking home the other day together. I ask him a simple question. Where do we go from here?"

As she continues, Reggie's voice begins to grow in a mix of upset and agitation. It becomes scattered as she continues to try and speak through it.

"He never answers the question. "Wherever you want it to go." It's like he's not even interested..."

As Reggie continues to lose her voice, she lowers herself on the bench. Sam slowly and calmly puts his arm around her and consoles her.

"You don't think he cares about you two?"

Reggie shakes her head sharply in frustration.

"No no no. I know he cares. I just don't know how much. He's so quiet about everything. It drives me insane. How can you be with someone who won't tell you what they're thinking?"

Sam continues to console Reggie without a response, letting her express her emotion. After a few minutes, Reggie composes herself enough to regain her control and stand up from the bench.

"I'll just have to talk to him when I can. For now, let's just meet up with the others."

While she seemed in control of her emotions, Sam had a feeling she's still frustrated. Her eyes seem dead set on her next destination. Her motion very stiff. Her voice still tough and broken. She's holding it in. Sam knows he can't change how Reggie felt, just to let her handle it. She always finds a way to get past it over time. The walk towards the Shack was quiet. Sam wanted to help Reggie feel better, but he understood it wasn't the time. He became just as frustrated as her, but couldn't let anyone else see that as the two approach the rest of the crew sitting down. They can see Anna is talking up a storm while the others just listen. Anna notices the two and breaks off from her story to greet them.

"Hey. Glad you made it."

Reggie and Sam both give unconvincing nods of acknowledgment as they sit down with the rest of the group in attendance. Sam takes notice of those not there.

"Wait. Where's Rick? And Otto? And Jorge."

Twister quietly answers.

"Still practicing."

Reggie adds on her own jab.

"They both certainly need it..."

Everyone there chuckles as the group goes quiet for a few seconds before Anna interjects.

"I can't believe they bailed on us..."

The group is still quiet. It became more common recently for the group to be split up around town. It was a tougher feeling for some more than others. Everyone had their own things going on, which put a bigger separation on the group. Just as the silence starts to get uncomfortable, Anna's voice is heard again.

"Okay, so I was telling these guys about how Lars has been ignoring me of late..."

Reggie and Sam quickly notice how the conversation had been going before they arrived. Anna continues to rant on without even the slightest pause about Lars and their relationship. Reggie always had a worry she talked too much about Rick over the past week, but since Anna finally revealed to the group what was going on between her and Lars a few days ago, she had not stopped talking about it. As much as Reggie cared for Anna, it drove her and the rest of the crew mad how she never stopped.

Reggie wasn't really focused on what Anna was saying. And from what she saw from the rest of the crew, none of them were really paying too much attention, other than Harmony. There was something about Harmony's empathy that confused her, but she really did care for everything going on in her friends life. It was really great to have someone like that around when things were going tough. No matter what was going on, Harm was willing to listen. Through good and bad times.

She looked over at Twister, whose staring off at the skate park. Twister's mood had drastically changed along with everyone else. Twist's kindness had always been Reggie's favorite thing about him. When someone else he cared about was upset, it affected him a lot. The whole mood of the group seemed to have changed his mood as a whole too. His worry towards Otto's problems were obvious, with them being best friends. But he cared about everyone. He asked a lot about her and Rick's relationship and how it was affecting her and Rick. He never worried about himself. Just others.

Then she looked next to her at Sam. Just like everyone else, his mind was clearly somewhere else, as his face stood with a robotic stare off into nowhere. Everyone's issues bothered him just like it did all of the crew. Reggie had noticed he came up to her a lot to ask if she was doing okay. It was great for her to have someone ask, especially with Rick's struggle to commit to a lot of what Reggie wanted to do. While she understood Rick was busy, it upset her how little he seemed to show her affection. She felt bad Sam had to listen to her vent all the time, but having him care about her well-being was a blessing.

Just as she begins to fade away into a day-dream, she hears a loud voice jump the entire table.

"Are you guys even listening?!"

Anna's quick jolt of frustration shook everyone there. All of them had been somewhere else and had not realized how obvious it was they were not paying attention. Harmony responds first.

"Sorry girl. Just a lot on all of our minds."

Anna contains her emotion swiftly.

"No, it's okay. Sorry I yelled at everyone. This week has been rough."

Everyone quietly nods in agreement with her. The tension the group was dealing with was pulling at each of their emotions. Every single one of them was slouched. Low on energy. Slow to move. Fatigued at what life was handing them. Harmony looks around at the group before speaking.

"It's Monday. Maybe we should just head back home. Chill for the night. Give everyone time to rest."

The group looks around at each other before a silent approval is reached. Each one of them gets up slowly as they head back. Twister heads towards the park to tell Otto and Rick to meet everyone back at home. Anna and Harmony started walking towards the pier to look at the scenery again. Sam then looks at Reggie who is the only one still sitting.

"You ready to head back?"

Reggie takes a second to regain focus as she gets up and starts walking back with Sam. Neither take too much effort to walk back with any speed. As they continue up home, Sam begins another conversation between the two.

"I don't think Rick really understands just how lucky he is..."

Reggie looks over at Sam with a curious look.

"What do you mean?"

Sam takes a deep sigh before continuing.

"I mean. He just seems to have his mind so set on doing everything he can that he forgets to appreciate what he has. Ever since he got here, it's all been about completing some certain trick he sees or accomplishing some new goal he sets for himself. He rarely gives you any time. I just think he takes you for granted a little bit. Maybe he doesn't realize it, but I can see it affecting you. I hate seeing you like this."

Reggie looks down to the ground. She knows Sam has a solid point, but she's tried to understand it from Rick's point for a while now. He always had big goals. Big plans. Tall mountains to climb. She could see why he spent so much time to be the best. It was a lot like Otto, but Rick never seemed so cocky about it. She takes it all in before responding to Sam.

"He's a great guy. I just wish he was around more. I wish he didn't have to worry so much about doing all this crazy stuff so I could see him more.

Sam became silent. There was so much more he wanted to say, but he knew it would just cause unwanted drama. It killed him how Rick went around and tried to do all this crazy stuff Sam could only dream of. He was perfect. Better looking than Sam ever thought he could be. Funnier. More athletic. Better with words. Sam's jealousy was overtaking him. Rick took the girl of his dreams. As every day passed, it became more and more difficult for Sam to cover his feelings, and he might have let that slip to Reggie just then. Just as his mind was ready to overwhelm him, they reached their houses.

"Sam."

Sam looks back at Reggie as she continues.

"Thank you for listening. I appreciate it more than you realize."

Sam smiles at her as he responds.

"Any time. You know where I live."

Reggie laughs before heading into her house. Sam suddenly had a smile reaching from cheek-to-cheek. He hadn't felt that way in so long. Reggie did that to him. There was something about her, even from the youngest age, that took Sam by storm. He just didn't know how to express it in the right way. As he once again shook off the thoughts of Reggie, he walks over to his house. He then notices the front door is wide open. He didn't see any cars in the driveway, making it clear his mom was not home. Did someone break in? As he walks into the house, everything seems to be in fine order...other than his room. The door is slightly open, but he can see his stuff scattered on the floor. It had been the first time in a long time he'd seen his room like that. Sam had a thing with keeping his room neat. His voice is shaky as he tries to dissect the situation.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?"

No response. He slowly creeps up to the door before gently pushing it open. He enters to see his clothes scattered around. He couldn't figure out any reason why, until he looks over at the other side of the room. Jorge's stuff is all packed up. His bags full. His bed made, another first since Jorge rarely made the bed, but without most of the blankets. There wasn't a ton of stuff packed in the bags, but as he looks cautiously, he notices a good portion of food and blankets packed in the big bag as well. Someone had packed away his stuff for a trip. Sam's confusion overwhelmed him. Just as he started to think, he looked behind him to see Jorge standing in front of the door. Jorge's face is painted in shock as he drops the note in his hand and the pen in the other hand. The note floats over near Sam, who picks it up and looks at it. As he quickly reads it, he looks back up at Jorge in shock. Jorge is now sitting on the ground, tearing up. Sam slowly goes over and hugs him. A muffled sound can be heard from Jorge, thought it's tough for Sam to comprehend what he's saying.

"I...j..u...st...wanna see m...m...y...family."

As Sam looks back on the note, he reads again.

"I'm so sorry. But I wanna find my family again. Don't take me running away as your fault. I just need to be with them again. I'm so so so sorry. -Jorge"

As a family, the group of eight had already dealt with all kinds of crazy things, however sometimes the most serious and severe problems help bring those who have drifted slowly apart back together...


	18. Chapter 17: No Turning Back

Chapter 17: No Turning Back

The living room of the Dullard home is packed. The seven kids surround an emotionally exhausted Jorge. The adults fill the kitchen, keeping their tones to a stern whisper, so the kids do not hear. Harmony hugs Jorge with all her might. Sam looks at his roommate in concern, close to his side at all times. His face is full of worry, yet blank at the same time. Reggie stands behind him, not yet sure how to handle what is happening. The rest of the room stands still, except for Otto pacing back and forth. Twister looks back and forth at everyone, not sure what to do. Anna and Rick survey the situation, seemingly deep in thought. The tension can be cut with a knife. The silence deafening. No one speaks for nearly an hour. Most of the crowd then begins to trickle out. The parents to their homes. goes to her room to lie down. And yet, the kids remain. For that night, no one really spoke. A few phrases, such as "Are you okay?" and "Do you need us to get you anything?" are said throughout. Soon, the kids start to fall asleep one by one in the living room. Even Jorge. His fatigue had finally gotten the better of him.

Sam suddenly wakes up and looks around. The clock reads 4:34 A.M. He figures everyone is asleep and is about to do the same. Just as his eyes close, he opens them to look again. Harmony and Jorge use each other as pillows. Anna, Otto and Twister lie on the floor. Reggie is fast asleep on the chair snoring away. The room finally felt at peace. Except...

There was Rick, who continued to write in his notebook. He seemed uneasy, like his mind was still running at 100 miles per hour. Sam wanted to look at Rick with sympathy. Instead, something else stood firm emotionally. For the first time in hours, Sam broke the room's silence.

"You're still awake?"

Rick does not even look away from his writing. He blankly speaks in a quiet, monotonous tone.

"Can't sleep."

Sam looked at him with an intense stare. Trying to read a bit into his feelings and what he was thinking. He continued to fish for information.

"Have you slept at all?"

Rick continued to look at his writing as he answers again.

"Nope. Been up all night. I'll sleep when everyone's awake."

Sam has a skeptic sound to his response.

"That can't be healthy..."

Rick continues his stare at the words with a strong, yet still quiet voice.

"It isn't."

It's clear to Sam just how focused Rick is. It was odd, but this was the most focused he's seen him in a long time. With everything going crazy of late, no one seemed completely there. Until now. Rick's demeanor was completely locked into what he was writing. Sam takes in the silence for a few minutes before his next question arises.

"You writing about Reg?"

Rick responds with the same tone.

"Nah."

Sam's voice goes from intrigued to a stern confusion.

"Why not?"

This time Rick fails to speak. He just shrugs his shoulders. His answer to the question boils Sam's emotions. He could not believe Rick would brush off something like his girlfriend so easy, especially someone like Reggie. It baffled him. It angered him.

"You should write something for her..."

Rick suddenly stopped writing and looked up at Sam quizzically, as he tried to study Sam's answer. Sam looked as serious as he's ever seen him, throwing Rick off. He was known for reading people well and could tell Sam meant more than he said. It finally hit him, as he nodded his head and looked back down on his words to try and regroup himself. He knew now how Sam felt and how complicated things were about to get. Before he had time to consider the situation, Sam spoke again...this time serious as ever.

"Look, if you're going to have someone as amazing as Reg, you have to do everything you can for her. Treat her like a queen. Be there whenever she needs it. Never leave a bit of doubt in her mind how you feel. She has a heart of gold. You can't take that for granted."

Sam's tone was stiff and became a bit loud. If it wasn't for the fact the entire group was sound asleep from severe fatigue, it would have woken one of them. It sent Rick into a trance as he stared at the words on paper. His mind became completely lost in himself. Sam's words started to run wild in his head. Why was Sam so aggressively telling him how to be in a relationship and how to treat someone? Who was he to say that? It didn't matter to Rick. He knew Sam was right. The thoughts went from frustration to sad acceptance. He knew Reggie deserved it all. She always treated him the best and yet, he never felt like he could give her everything. His mind was not where it needed to be. As much as he cared for her, something felt off between them. She's so emotionally open about her life. She's happy with who she is. Rick couldn't say the same for himself. And he wasn't comfortable enough to be open with her yet. All the thoughts ran through his head like wildfire. Sam, after looking at Rick for nearly five minutes turns to lie down. He couldn't understand what happened, but had gotten the words off his chest. Just as he was ready to close his eyes, he heard a voice.

"You gotta be right all the time, Sam?"

Sam quickly looked up to see Rick staring out the window in the room. Sam's face shifted to shock as he saw tears starting to fall out of Rick's eyes. He never saw him like that. Soon after, Rick got up and looked at him.

"I gotta get some air. Thank you for being honesty. I needed that."

While Sam pondered it at first as Rick crept out the door, he understood it was a wholehearted answer without sarcasm. It had been tough to tell at times with Rick, but this was certain. Sam felt bad and almost motioned to leave the room, yet he knew he would wake someone up leaving. He lied back down and tried to sleep it off. Everyone in the group was interesting, but Rick always seemed the one he could never figure out. He understood everyone else. Otto, Twist and Reggie's sportiness. Harmony's kind and helpfulness. Anna's heart and love for everyone. Jorge's friendliness and support no matter what. He could understand all of them. Not Rick. He kept everything inside, hidden from them. It's what made him a mystery to Sam, and what he assumed was everyone else. While Sam was still mad at him for taking Reggie, Rick was still his friend. He should be content she was with someone he knew. As he finally calmed his thoughts, he went to sleep...

Sam wakes up and realizes everyone else is gone. He walks out to see Jorge smiling for the first time in a long time. He looks up to Sam with a surprising glee.

"Hey Sam! Sorry about last night..."

Sam immediately grew a smile of his own.

"Don't worry about it. You feeling better?"

Jorge nods his head firmly.

"Yeah. I got a chance to talk to everyone this morning and...I took for granted how much you guys really care about me. I mean, I really do miss my family at home, but you guys are my family too. And I love you guys. Someday, I'll see my Mom and Dad. Until then, I need to take advantage of everything here, so I have great things to bring back home."

Sam could now see all Jorge needed was reassurance from everyone that he wasn't alone. It felt great to him. He wondered what everyone said, but it wasn't that important. What mattered was his friend was better. Jorge surprised Sam with a big hug afterwards. Sam took it in. Jorge was a very emotional guy, that wasn't afraid to express his emotions with hugs and what not. He had gotten used to it over the time he had been here. Jorge looks at him with glee as he speaks again.

"I guess everyone went back home to rest up. If you're not too tired, wanna just spend today playing games and stuff?"

Sam looked excited. It was something to keep his mind of everything that happened. A chance to forget it and appreciate his friend and roommate's company, which was well needed.

"Sounds good dude. Let's get out the games!"

Sam and Jorge go into their room and laugh along at the video games. looks on with a smile as she quietly watches TV from the living room...

The Rocket's house is fairly quiet. Reggie, Harmony and Otto are all sitting watching TV while Raymundo is working the Shack. Everyone was exhausted from last night. Luckily for the kids, there was no school that day. Reggie looks over at Otto as a commercial plays.

"Rick still asleep?"

Otto sighs as he responds.

"Yeah. He's been asleep ever since we got back. You think he slept last night?

Reggie was quick and confident in her response.

"I've seen that look on him before. He didn't sleep. You could tell when we were talking to Jorge. He was all whack."

Otto looks baffled.

"Dude. How does he live like that?"

Reggie shrugs her shoulders.

"I dunno. He's something."

Otto looked at his sister puzzled. He knew her like the back of his hand. When her and Rick first went out, she seemed so excited about anything that came up with him involved. Now, she was shrugging something that he was struggling from with ease. It threw him off. He knew she wasn't doing it on purpose, but it was still surprising. Harmony was zoned out at the TV show. It was some drama Otto knew nothing about, but there wasn't anything on that either he or Reggie liked. They let her have her fun. Suddenly, they all hear the door knock. Reggie quickly gets up to answer the door. She pushes the door open to see Twister in his light blue swim trunks. He looks up with an excited grin.

"Yoooooo!"

Otto looks at him in confusion.

"Yo?"

Twister looks at his friend with a quick nod.

"Yeah. Like hi or what's up."

Otto shakes his head as Harmony chuckles

"I know what it means dude..."

Twister continues to look at Otto as he speaks.

"Dude, the waves look killer today. Wanna go out and catch some?"

Otto's face turns blank.

"What about Anna?"

Twister responds while rolling his eyes.

"She's with Lars again. Another movie. It's lame."

He shifts his attention, looking at Reggie first.

"Wanna come?"

Reggie shakes her head.

"I have to make sure sleepyhead isn't sick or something."

Twister turns towards Reggie.

"Wait...Rick's sleeping? It's like 2 o' clock!"

Reggie looks at Twister with a smirk.

"He doesn't sleep very well. We're pretty sure he stayed up all night watching Jorge."

Twister's voice suddenly hits a near yell.

"ALL NIGHT? How is that even possible?"

Harmony chuckles again, finally speaking up.

"You're not supposed to do it Twist. He just did. He'll be fine. Just needs the day off."

Otto swiftly looks over at Harmony with a look of desperation.

"You wanna come?"

Harmony looks surprised. She only surfed with the group once or twice and fell off her surfboard nearly every time. Twister and Otto were pros, but Otto's answer seemed genuine.

"I mean...yeah. I'll join in. Let me get my stuff."

As she went to change and grab her stuff, Twister walked up to Otto as he continued to talk.

"We're gonna nail these waves good, man! It's gonna be so rad!"

Otto kept a cool tone.

"Yeah. It'll be awesome."

Harmony grabs her stuff and the three set out for the waves. The day was calm. The waves moving smooth, yet strong for surfers. They got into the water and start surfing. Harmony struggled at first, yet Otto seemed focused to help her along the way, while Twister rode every wave with the same style and excitement everyone was used to. Harmony had not seen Otto care so much about helping before, yet his tips payed off. She finally mustered the confidence to ride the wave on her own. She had crashed three times before finally getting through smoothly. Otto and Twister cheered as they headed back to shore. Otto was the first to step up with excitement.

"You got it H!"

Twister joined in.

"Yeah H girl! That was off the wall!"

Harmony smiles cheek-to-cheek.

"Thanks guys. Your tips really helped Otto. That was...like...so exhilarating."

Twister looks baffled at Harmony.

"Exa-what?"

Harmony laughs as she answers.

"It means it was awesome."

Twister smiles.

"Cool."

They headed onto the beach where their towels and gear laid down. Before Twister and Harmony could dry off, Otto had already had his gear on and spoke rapidly as he rode away.

"I'm gonna check back on Reg and Rick. Meet you guys back there."

Before either could say anything, Otto had raced off. They both looked confused. Harmony spoke first.

"What's his rush?"

Twister looks at her with a plain look.

"I don't know. At least he's smiling."

Harmony agreed.

"Yeah, that's good. You have fun?"

"Of course I did. That was awesome. We gotta bring everyone next time. They'll have a blast."

Harmony finishes putting on her gear and gets on her board.

"Yep. Let's go meet up with them."

Twister and Harmony headed back to the Rockets. The day had been hectic. At least it ended with something fun. Life had gotten a little out of hand with all of the news and relationships. They were still young. It all seemed like it was going way too quick. They all lived their lives like they did their hobbies: Fast. As chaotic as it seemed, it was what they were accustomed to. Slowly, things were finally going back to a norm that made some sense. Everyone was a little happier and care free, now that Jorge was okay. They all had the same thought: Maybe everything would turn out okay after all...


End file.
